NYAKAFUNJO PRIMARY SCHOOL
BUGANGAIZI, UGANDA

COMPLETE

STATUS

people impacted

dollars funded

FUNDED MARCH 9, 2022

There are 900 students at the Nyakafunjo Primary School, plus 180 additional households, for over 1,200 people served in the Bugangaizi Village, in the Kakumiro District of Uganda. The current source of water for this school and community is a pond 2 km away. The water from this pond must be boiled before use.

Typhoid, diarrhea, and cholera are common with this type of swampy water source. There is the added danger of wildlife using the watering hole as well. Snakes are common, and the children are at risk, since they are drawn to the only source of water. As the headteacher tells us in the video below, it is very difficult to keep all 900 children away from the water if they are thirsty. And the children won’t typically remember to boil the water first, which results in illness, school absences and ultimately a severe financial strain on their families as well. The absences can lead to the students dropping out because they cannot catch back up. The lack of clean water directly impacts their future and the futures of their families.

We expect that with a deep well at the school, student illnesses will decrease drastically, and that attendance and learning will increase. We also expect the same for the families surrounding the well. And by putting the well at a school, even the less educationally minded parents will want their children to attend the school more regularly, if only for the water.

In addition, while the well is being built, we will take the opportunity to play a film about Jesus’ life in the local dialect to the people who gather to watch the drilling process. The well will be accessible to everyone who wants to access the well. This well in particular will likely help the students first, and the teachers, but also all the surrounding families. The well will also have a permanent bronze plaque fixed into the cement letting everyone know who donated the well, with a Bible verse telling them why.

COMPLETED MAY 17, 2022

Cement was poured April 19th, for the well at Nyakafunjo Primary Schools, Bugangaizi in Uganda. The well project was completed May 17th, with a dedication ceremony at the school. The students are now enjoying clean water!

The data came in at 2,859 lts/hr, which translates to 753 gallons per hour or 12.55 Gallons Per Minute.

The well was finished in good time. This is currently rainy season in Uganda, so we tend to run into slight delays in drilling, and it does take a little longer for the cement to cure properly before use. From the request for funding, to the completion of the well, the project took less than three months. The photos were sent ahead of this report. They include the dedication of the well and the student’s first use of the water. The video is the headmaster of the school thanking the donors for the new source of water. It’s a good counterpoint to the video he recorded before the well was put in. The school is already using the water and we will be happy to see how things are there in the coming year.