RUGARIMIMBO A VILLAGE, UGANDA

IN PROGRESS

STATUS

people impacted

dollars funded

SEE MAP

Partner

FUNDED SEPTEMBER 13, 2023

Gathering Water

Rugarambiro A Village is located in the Ruskere Parish in the Kagadi District, Kabamba s/county of Uganda. This is a busy area with 300 households. Two schools and three churches in the area serve over 1280 people. But there is no clean water within easy walking distance. 

CURRENT CONDITIONS

The closest water sources are open ponds about .5 to 1 km from the village. These ponds are filled with runoff from the fields around them and are known to be full of the bacteria for Typhoid. Whole families are ill with Typhoid as often as every other month. The mortality rate for children is high in these villages, and there are very few adults in their fifties or older.

The ponds are also breeding grounds for frogs and snakes and draw in wild animals as well, which increases the danger of fetching water. This is particularly true for the children of the two schools. They will drink the water straight from the ponds and will get sick from it.

Financially, the cost of bad water for this village is high. Medicine for Typhoid is very expensive and can cost as much as an average farmer makes a day. And it costs more to hire a bota bota (transport) to get to a doctor. The illnesses keep the poverty cycle going. Money that would go to seed for crops, to food, tuition, or building supplies, will all be used on medicine. And when dry season comes, the ponds dry up, and the villagers must pay drivers to bring them water. Without clean water there is no hope for a better future.

The proposed borehole well and hand pump will be able to serve up to 1,500 people per day, bringing improved health and encouraging village growth.

CEED’S EXPERIENCE

CEED has been drilling in Uganda for nearly 20 years. The first well was drilled using the percussion method. One of our donors saw the process and donated 2 mobile drills for our use. We now also have a big rig for use in areas where we encounter rock layers or other obstacles that the smaller drills cannot overcome. The team is Ugandan staffed and led through the efforts of Herbert Asiimwe, the Director of CEED Uganda. Herbert has been leading these drilling teams for over 15 years and most of our drillers have over a decade of experience each.

Herbert is also a licensed CPA [so] the bookkeeping is kept to the highest standards and oversight is done in the US office by both Kate and the CEED board. They are our exclusive drilling team in Uganda. Each well is funded individually and the money goes directly to the cost of running the drill and salaries for the teams on the ground. After all the workman is worth their wages, and one of CEEDs goals has always been to ensure that those working for us can support their families through the work they do.

We also make sure that we are running our equipment responsibly. A part of each well’s cost goes directly into maintenance and small repairs to keep things running smoothly.

WELL MAINTENANCE & REPAIRS

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 school, village etc. 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. This process works and it grew out of many years of experience in Uganda. Without this process the village [would] not take full ownership of the well. Before we implemented it, we found that wells would break from small fixable issues but the village wouldn’t contact us because it ‘wasn’t their well.’ The committee and the water fund solved this issue.

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP

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. Then 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.

PROJECT COSTS AND TIMELINE

Total Project Cost: $5,000 for a borehole well and hand pump.

Cost break out:

  • Materials & Labor:  $4,550
  • Administrative:           $450

Future maintenance:  The villagers collect a penny or two a month from each household to keep for maintenance. This system ensures that the well is fully adopted by the village and cared for.

Other Costs:  If we hit rock, the well will need to be drilled by the big rig. That may cost more, but we will likely match funding from another source.

Funding Requested from ILW:  $5000

Date Funding Required:  As soon as possible

Estimated Project Start Date:  Within 2-3 weeks of funding date

Estimated Project Completion Date: Within 2-3 months of funding date

FUTURE IMPACT

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.

The poverty cycle breaks because of the  drop in illness rates. Parents can go to work, and without having to spend money on medicine, they will have enough money to feed their families, to pay for tuition and schoolbooks, to buy better seed, and to build better housing. The churches in town will grow because of the clean water. The schools will see an increase in attendance, and a new generation will be able to grow up getting an education.

The churches will grow as the surrounding villages become aware of the miracle of clean water, and for this region of Uganda it is truly a miracle. The town will grow and prosper and the community will be stronger because of the influence of the water committee. Their involvement means that the villagers themselves promise to adhere to a code of conduct that includes husbands being good to their wives, and more. The whole village will be changed because of one well.

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