A School in Africa with a Dirty Water and Deadly Snake Problem

The Mother AK Memorial Nursery and Primary school is located next to the Otumpili Day and Boarding School. They are the only schools within a 20 km radius. Mother AK Memorial is both a kindergarten and a primary school more through necessity than actual choice. There was simply no option for the community to establish two schools, so they built one that caters to students of all ages. It is also a school with a dirty water and snake problem.

A School with a Dirty Water and Snake Problem

Before the well, the school and local community were dependent on a water hole that was over 1 km away. It was a long distance to walk, but it was their only option. Sarah Asunta, the school bursar mentioned that they would try to only send the older girls to go and fetch water, but sometimes the younger children would have to go. “During some unfortunate times, the pupils come back running and panting and without their water jerricans after finding a snake at the well,” confides Asunta.

A young female student named Lamunu Daisy, confirmed this saying “No. It was not just a snake. It was a python.” She said they were three girls and they all sprinted back to the school in fear.

Unsafe Water – The Situation Before the Well

The old water source was more than a kilometer from the school. It was in an isolated area, in what is known as ‘the bush’ and the path leading to it was unkempt and overgrown. This meant that the walk to and from the water hole took even longer than it normally would.

The water hole was not protected with any kind of fence, which meant it was also used by livestock. During rainy seasons the paths would flood and it became impossible to access the water hole. When this happened the pupils would collect water from any puddles they found that were deep enough. But this water was not clean or safe to drink.

The Negative Impact: Dirty Water and Trauma

Asunta says the encounters with snakes tend to have a traumatizing effect on the pupils and this is known to affect their performance in class.

Another issue the school used to face was that parents were reluctant to send their children to a school with no water. They did not like the idea of a school where their children were unable to wash their plates after school meals, with no water for drinking, no water for washing the toilets and no water to help wash their hands – a situation made worse by the current pandemic.

A New Well Solves the Dirty Water Problem

Schools in East Africa are still closed, including the schools in Uganda. However we are now hearing Ugandan schools are about to re-open after a long 83-week closure. The new well drilled by Drop in the Bucket has parents excitedly asking when the school will reopen. Even parents whose children were not in school are expressing an interest in enrolling their kids because of the new well. Asunta has a different reason to be happy. She is happy that the pupils will no longer have to deal with snakes when they are thirsty.

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