Author: J Travis

In Te Pwoyo Village, a remote community in northern Uganda, a remarkable transformation is underway. Meet Omon Charles Ojok, a dedicated leader at the heart of this community. Ojok wears multiple hats, serving as the village health team member, the local council leader, and the chairperson of the water source committee. He is known in the community as a fair leader and is widely respected. For years Omon Charles has been working to get his village clean water.

A Challenging Quest for Clean Water

For over six years, Omon Charles Ojok has grappled with the pressing issue of unclean water in the village. The primary sources of water for Te Pwoyo were the Unyama River and a waterhole known as ‘liri-liri,’ a name that perfectly encapsulates its slow and narrow water flow.

Liri-Liri Waterhole

Akot Jenna Lucy, remembers walking two kilometers to fetch water. “We used to walk there only to find a crowded water source with an agonizingly slow water flow. I can only describe it  as a ‘trickle.’ For Akot Jenna and her fellow villagers, this was their daily reality.

The Unyama River

The only other alternative for Te Pwoyo Village was the Unyama River, a source of water that was not only dirty but also quite distant. The path to the river was unkempt, making the journey there and back somewhat perilous due to the presence of dangerous snakes, including pythons.

A Bucket of Bullets

Two years ago, two young boys, Rubangakene Oscar and Rubangakene Oscar Emmanuel, discovered something unusual while collecting water from the Unyama River. They found a plastic bucket filled with live ammunition that had washed ashore.

The Dark History of Abductions

Older members of the community were horrified by the discovery of the bullets, which served as a chilling reminder of the area’s dark history with the LRA (Lords’ Resistance Army) rebels and their two-decade-long reign of terror. Omon Charles Ojok, vividly remembers the LRA’s presence in the area. “I think  the bullets were left by the rebels”, he says. A chilling reminder of the area’s dark past.

The New Well Brings New Hope

In response to these challenges, the community of Te Pwoyo Village received a lifeline that has transformed their lives. Drop in the Bucket commissioned a newly drilled borehole, bringing hope, health, and safety to the people of Te Pwoyo.

The story of Te Pwoyo Village underscores the impact that clean water can have on communities in need. Through the provision of water wells, lives are changed, challenges are overcome, and hope is rekindled. Omon Charles Ojok and his fellow villagers have been liberated from bullets, pythons, and the relentless struggle for clean water. Their journey serves as an inspiration, highlighting the profound change achievable when communities unite to create a brighter future.

Bulubandi Primary School is one of the largest schools in eastern Uganda. With over 2,000 students, spanning grades 1 through 7, the head teacher, Naigaga Madinga well understands the magnitude of her job.

“Running a school this size requires infrastructure and resources. As you can see, everything we need here is in large numbers”, says Madinga. “I have been teaching at this school for 14 years and in all of that time, we have never had a reliable and continuous source of clean water.”

She goes on to explain that the large government-funded school had partial access to two water sources, but both were unreliable.

One was a community borehole that was always crowded. Here the women began lining up early in the morning, with their jerry cans marking their location in line. Because they needed this water for their daily domestic workload of cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, and bathing children, they were not interested in the students cutting in their line to get a drink from the already-crowded water point. And tensions would brew.

The second option was piped municipal water. But this was not a sustainable solution. For one, the piped-water supply only worked intermittently. According to Mukiza, the water would dry up for weeks at a time. And in addition to that, paying for municipal water was completely unaffordable for a school the size of Bulubandi.

The lack of water brought many challenges to the large school. But the loudest complaint came from the boy students. They were not allowed to play sports!

Like boys throughout sub-Saharan Africa, the students at Bulubandi love to play soccer. It was not uncommon to have nearly 1000 children running after a ball during recess. And, in the Ugandan heat, that made for a lot of thirsty kids.

The administration legitimately feared that the students could pass out from dehydration.

According to Muhondo Eric, the senior male teacher at the school, “Nobody at the school wanted to stop the children from having fun, but we had to limit how much they could play and sweat because of water rationing.”

Now that DROP has drilled and we have a permanent water solution, we no longer have to worry about rationing. The students are back to playing sports and tensions have settled. In addition, their academic performance and daily attendance also seem to be improving.

According to Madinga, we are grateful for this new water source for many reasons. For one, it gives the school a clean, consistent and reliable water supply. That solved many very problems for the school. And there is no need to ration water, or fun, anymore.

From Unsafe Water to a Better Solution

Located in the Pader district of northern Uganda, the Angole Health Center II used to struggle to provide basic care to its patients. The reason was a lack of clean water. Located near a trading center, the health center serves both as a place of work and a home for the medical professionals who work there. However, its lack of a clean water source made it difficult for staff to effectively care for patients.  

Before the well

Awor Margaret, a midwife at the health center, explained that the staff used to fetch water from a borehole at a nearby primary school, which was also used by the local community. This meant that medical staff had to leave patients waiting while they went to collect water. The water generally lasted until the afternoon, allowing staff to see around 50 patients per day. But if they were too tired to fetch more water, they had to turn patients away and ask them to come back the next day.

In times of crisis, such as when the borehole broke down, the nearest water source was an open stream two kilometers away. Oyella Ketty, a nurse at the health center, remembers the risks and ramifications of healthcare workers leaving patients waiting while they walked for water.

The water from the stream was not safe to drink, as Awor Margaret recalls seeing organisms swimming in it. But with no other options, the medical staff had to give it to patients for drinking and swallowing tablets.

The new well

Thanks to a new well, however, the Angole Health Center II now has access to all the clean water it needs for drinking, hand washing, treating sick children, and cleaning the facility. In fact, the Ministry of Health now requires that all healthcare facilities in Uganda be cleaned twice per day in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Without the new well, meeting this requirement would have been impossible.

Oyella Ketty looks at the people getting water from the new well and her face lights up. She explains that the borehole provides all the water the community needs and that the staff is now able to care for all of their patients without fear of running out of water.

The new well has been a game-changer for the Angole Health Center II and the local community. No longer do the medical staff have to worry about leaving patients waiting while they fetch water, or about giving their patients unsafe water to drink. Now, they are able to focus on providing the best possible care to their patients and serving the community to the best of their ability.

But the struggles of the Angole Health Center II are not unique. Across Uganda, many communities face challenges when it comes to access to clean water. This is a problem that disproportionately affects women and children, who are often responsible for collecting water for their families.

The efforts of organizations like Drop in the Bucket are critical in addressing this issue and improving the lives of communities in Uganda and beyond. By working to provide access to clean water, these organizations are helping to improve health, education, and economic opportunities for people in need.

The story of the Angole Health Center II is a testament to the transformative power of clean water and the positive impact it can have on communities. It is a reminder of the importance of supporting efforts to bring clean water to those who need it most.