GALIRAYA VILLAGE, UGANDA

FUNDED MARCH 22, 2023

Galiraya Village is located in Kyabeya Parish, Nalweyo Subcountry, in the Kikuube District. There are 180 households (approximately 900 people) and also a nearby hospital. There is a borehole 2.5 km away, but while this clean water source is closer than with many of our other candidates, it is not a safe option for this village. There is a main road between them and the borehole, and it is the road to the nearest hospital. In December a child was hit by a truck on a water run and was killed. The village is not sending their children for water from that borehole because of this. They choose to use a swamp 2 km away instead. It poses a high risk of waterborne illness, but the parents have chosen this over the dangers of the road.

Open ponds and particularly swamps are always dangerous sources of water. Not only do they hold organisms that cause waterborne illnesses like Typhoid, but they also attract wild animals and snakes. Two children have died from waterborne illnesses in the last two months.

This is the busy road where a child died recently, traveling to get water from a borehole

The women in the village, gathering polluted water for their homes

Herbert Asiimwe oversees project management in Uganda, and has a decade of experience in the area. He is particularly skilled at choosing and working with the schools, churches, clinics, and villages that ultimately get the wells. He can choose locations where the well will be cared for long-term, ensuring clean water for years to come. The drilling teams report directly to Herbert, and Herbert reports directly to our board of directors here in the US. He adheres to very strict accounting procedures and Kate does the accounting and reporting on the US side. CEED has developed over 600 clean water sources and served over 750,000 people in the area.

The funding for future repairs and maintenance is a two-part process. When the village is chosen for a well, they sign a contract stating that they will do their best to set aside a few pennies per month to help cover the cost of future repairs. They can do this by selling surplus water to local farmers, or by having a collection. This method acts as a guarantee that the village will take ownership of the well. When something is wrong, they have the responsibility to reach out and let us know so the wells can be repaired in a timely manner.

In 2020 CEED took the opportunity to do a survey of 20 villages that have access to one of our wells. On average each village experienced a 70% reduction in illness across the board. Typhoid, Cholera, parasites, and water born illnesses dropped significantly. We do understand that there are, of course, other factors that play a part in community health, but it all must start with access to clean water.
A new well will end the current typhoid outbreak.

With a water source in this village, parents won’t be forced to choose a water source with deadly diseases or a water source across a very dangerous road. There needs to be a better option than having to choose which water is less likely to result in death.

We always use our drilling opportunities as a disciple making outreach. We try to dig our wells near churches or schools if possible. We also use the drilling itself as an outreach. One of our donors many years ago donated a solar powered projection system.  During the drilling people come from miles around to watch the drilling while it is happening. While that is going on, the projection system is being charged. Then at night we set up the projector and play “The Jesus Film,” a film about Jesus’s life, ministry, death and resurrection, in the local dialect of the area where the well is being drilled. When the well is completed, we add a plaque with the donor’s names and usually a verse telling the village why the water was gifted to them. The dedications are done by the local ministers of the church, turning even that event into a praise meeting.

UPDATE MAY 23, 2023

Galiraya has been drilled! Here are some photos of the workers during the drilling process, with curious villagers looking on.

Well Statistics:

Location: Galiraya village, Kyabeya ward, Nalweyo, in the Kakumiro district
Coordinates: N: 1.13115, E: 31.28208
Well depth………………….145 ft
Water………………………….85 ft
Yield test estimate.…..3850 ltr/hr (1017.062 gal/hr)

The drilling is done now!  Water cleared faster and people celebrated for their clean water.
The water is good and now it’s just a matter of letting the cement set and installing the plaque.