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Unyama, Te Pwoyo: A Village Transformed by Clean Water

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.

Omon Charles Ojok Unyama Tepwoyo - DROP well photo
Omon Charles Ojok

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 during the commissioning of the new borehole drilled by Drop in the Bucket in her village

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
The new well at Tepwoyo, Uganda drilled by Drop in the Bucket

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.
Tpwoyo village in Uganda has a new well

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St. Vicent Buliganwa Primary School: The ripple effect of giving a school clean water

How Water Changes Everything

At Drop in the Bucket, we believe in the transformative power of clean water and education. Today, we want to share an inspiring story of resilience and determination from St. Vicent Buliganwa Primary School in Uganda. This is a tale of how providing clean water to a school had a ripple effect, transforming not only the school but also the entire community.

A Challenging Assignment

Mr. Owino Isaac, the Headteacher St. Vicent Buliganwa primary school
Mr. Owino Isaac, the Headteacher St. Vicent Buliganwa primary school

Meet Owino Isaac, a seasoned head teacher known for his commitment to improving schools in rural areas. When he first arrived at St. Vicent Buliganwa Primary School, he was confronted with a multitude of challenges. Inadequate facilities, reluctant teachers, a remote location, and illiterate parents who undervalued education were just a few of the obstacles he faced. Determined to make a difference, Owino began devising strategies to enhance the school and attract more students.

The Water Dilemma

One of the critical issues facing the school was the lack of access to clean water. Both the school and the community relied on a nearby swamp as their water source. Recognizing the potential of a borehole well to uplift the spirits of the community, Owino set his sights on this solution. He had seen its impact in the past and believed it could work wonders at St. Vicent’s.

A Welcome Surprise
Hope came unexpectedly when a Drop in the Bucket truck arrived at the school. Excitedly, Owino showed our staff around the school grounds, and they identified a promising area for a well. Our dedicated team returned for a survey, and within a few weeks, St. Vicent Buliganwa Primary School had its own well.

A child washes his hands at the new well drilled by Dropin the Bucket for the st Vicent Buliganwa primary school in Uganda
A child washes his hands at the new well drilled by Dropin the Bucket for the st Vicent Buliganwa primary school in Uganda

A Turning Point
The provision of clean water became a powerful motivator for parents who had been hesitant to send their children to the school. Owino, fueled by determination, embarked on a door-to-door campaign, engaging with parents and children, emphasizing the importance of education. He assured them that their children would have access to clean water and a nutritious meal – a promise he fulfilled by personally making porridge for the students.

Alikooba Margret, a community member
Alikooba Margret, mother and community member from Buliganwa, Uganda

A Mother’s Perspective
One mother, Alikooba Margret, had initially enrolled only one child in the school. However, after witnessing the positive changes brought about by the well, she eagerly sent her other children to join. Speaking with admiration, Margret acknowledges Owino’s unwavering commitment and credits the clean water borehole for transforming the community’s quality of life. The water no longer smells, it is safe for drinking, and it has improved the cleanliness of clothes. Her gratitude is evident, and she attributes her children’s increased enrollment to the provision of clean water.

A Triumph for the Community

Owino humbly considers the well as one of his significant achievements. However, his impact extends far beyond this accomplishment. When he first arrived at St. Vincent Buliganwa Primary School, he was shocked to find that the school had just 12 students. Now, just a few years into his leadership, the school is a thriving institution with 381 pupils. He smiles and confidently states that he is sure the numbers will continue to rise.

The story of St. Vicent Buliganwa Primary School exemplifies the transformative power of clean water and education. Through the dedication and passion of individuals like Owino Isaac and the support of organizations like Drop in the Bucket, entire communities can experience positive change. As we witness the ripple effect of clean water, we are inspired to continue our mission, bringing hope and opportunities to those in need.

Students and the local community celebrate the new well at the The new well at St Vicent Buliganwa primary school in Uganda. Join us in our endeavor to make a lasting impact and create a brighter future for all.

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Some Good News for the Bulumwaki Primary School

A Headteacher in a tough position

It was January 2022, and Bulumwaki primary school was struggling. The new year had brought 836 pupils to the school, but there was no clean water. “We really needed a borehole (well), but we did not have the resources to get one drilled, and we had no way to raise that kind of money,” recalls Namutubu Oliver, the school’s head teacher.

Namutubu Oliver - head teacher at the Bulumwaki primary school in Uganda
Bulumwaki’s head teacher Namutubu Oliver

Just a 10-minute walk from the school was a community well that they could use. Most days, this was not too big a problem. It did take 20 minutes to get there and back, which meant missing half a lesson. But there were days when the lines at the well were long, and on those days, the children would take an hour or more to get water.

The Shadoof

The second option was a hand-dug waterhole locally known as a ‘shadoof.’ The water from the shadoof was neither clean nor safe to drink, but on days when the lines at the well were long, the shadoof was the only option.

Mukiisa Priscilla is a student at Bulumwaki. She hated missing lessons and would get frustrated standing in line at the community well. “In the mornings, the school would tell us we needed to go and fetch water. They asked us because we were older and stronger than the little children, but we did not want to miss school.” For Mukiisa, the new well meant that students no longer have to walk for water. “The most frustrating situation was when we were studying for our final exams, and they would make us stop to fetch water.”

The headteacher knew she was in a tough position. The last year of primary school is when the students’ exam results matter the most, so while she hated sending them, she had no choice. The younger children were not as strong or able to walk as fast, so it took them longer, and they missed more school. She is relieved she no longer has to make such difficult choices.

The shadoof had its problems too! Every dry season, it would stop producing water. It was also impossible to keep livestock out, so it was always polluted with animal waste.

Before the Well

Oliver’s voice gets quiet as she remembers how things were. “There were times when the children were sick with the flu or had colds and needed water for their dry throats or to wash their faces and hands. I had to tell them to wait until break or lunchtime when we could get more water.”

“Things were much worse for girls during their menstrual cycle. We have a changing room for girls, but without water, it was not much use. Some menstruating girls had to just sit and wait until we could go and fetch water.

This resulted in poor hygiene, embarrassment, and missing lessons,” remembers the headteacher. In smaller schools, teachers and students end up using the same toilets. With toilets being used by so many students and no water to keep them clean, the teachers’ frustration was understandable. And no water for washing hands after using the toilets opened the school up to even more health risks.

Mukungu Grace - a teacher from Bulumwaki primary school in Uganda
Mukungu Grace hold’s a fellow teacher’s young child.

Mukungu Grace, one of the affected teachers, recalls. “We had to be careful about what we ate, so that if possible, we could wait to use the toilet at home. The ones at the school were just too disgusting.”

Bulumwaki Primary Now Has Clean Water

Bulumwaki primary in Uganda has a new water well thanks to the non-profit Drop in the Bucket
Bulumwaki primary school’s new well.

By October of that year, it was a different story at Bulumwaki. With a new borehole well drilled by the non-profit Drop in the Bucket, the school was now thriving. “I am happy about the new well! Happy about the health of my students. Happy about the hygiene of our girls, and I’m happy our teachers are happy,” says Oliver, the headteacher.

With every contribution to Drop in the Bucket, you can be part of the solution that provides clean and safe water to schools in Uganda and South Sudan. By supporting our work, you not only ensure that students can focus on their studies and stay healthy but also help empower communities to thrive. With your contribution, we can work towards a world where every child has access to the basic necessities of life, regardless of their circumstances.

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Bulubandi Primary School: Where the students can have fun again.

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.

Naigaga Madinga headteacher from the Bulubandi Primary School in Uganda
Naigaga Madinga headteacher from the Bulubandi Primary School in Uganda

“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.

Muhondo Eric, the senior male teacher stands in front of one of the classrooms at Bulubandi primary school in Uganda
Muhondo Eric, the senior male teacher at Bulubandi primary school in Uganda

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.

Students stand by the new well drilled by Drop in the Bucket at Bulubandi primary school in Uganda
Students excited about the new well
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Angole Health Center II; A struggling health center finds relief with a new well

From Unsafe Water to a Better Solution

Angole Health Center in Pader Uganda where Drop in the Bucket drilled a well in 2020Located 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.  

Awor Margaret a midwife at the Angole Health Center II in Pader, Uganda
Meet Awor Margaret

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.
Community members from the Angole parish get water from the well at the Angole health center in Pader, Uganda.

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.



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Happy New Year and a New Well Video

Have you ever wondered what it’s like when a well gets completed in a village in Africa? We may have drilled more than 500 wells, but this experience never gets old.

From the relieved grins on our drillers faces, the happy smiles of the adults in the community, to the peals of joyous laughter from the children who know they no longer have to walk hours every day for water. In rural communities water charges everything and for this community in Uganda nothing will ever be the same.

We couldn’t do any of this without your donations, so we wanted to share this moment with you and thank you for making our work possible. We hope you enjoy this video as much as we enjoyed filming and putting it together.

Special thanks to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, for not only providing the perfect soundtrack to this video, but also for making it possible.

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Our first inter-school quiz competition

Drop in the Bucket just hosted its first ever Inter-School Quiz Competition in South Sudan. The event included 8th grade participants from five primary schools in Nimule South Sudan. The schools submitted four of their top students to compete – two boys and two girls from each.

For the three weeks leading up to the competition, the DROP team had been immersed in preparations, which also included creating the game, using questions from the South Sudan primary school syllabus.

Students participating in the first annual Drop in the Bucket South Sudan inter-school quiz competition
Students participating in the first annual Drop in the Bucket South Sudan inter-school quiz competition

Rotating between individual and group questions, the students had 30 seconds to answer questions in math, English, science and social studies. Two points were given for each correct answer. A moderator from the local radio station led the game. And the competition was fierce!

There was also a raffle, where students from the audience were given the chance to answer a question to win a t-shirt.

A student holds up her raffle ticket in the Drop in the Bucket South Sudan inter-school quiz competition
A student holds up her raffle ticket

Although, the DROP education program’s mission is to provide vulnerable girls with the opportunity to attend secondary school, the overall aim is to promote education within the entire society. And the goal of this exciting quiz-game format was to merge the concept of competition, fun, and learning into one action-packed afternoon.

Drop in the Bucket's Director Stacey Travis presents the winning team from Green Valley Primary School in Eastern Equatoria their trophy.
Drop in the Bucket’s Director Stacey Travis presents the winning team from Green Valley Primary School in Eastern Equatoria their trophy.

In the end, the students from Green Valley Primary School took home the cup, along with other prizes. They will return next year to defend their award against the other schools. And if they win two more times, the trophy is forever theirs!

The winning students from Green Valley Primary School winning the cup in the first annual Drop in the Bucket inter-school quiz competition.
The winning students from Green Valley Primary School hold up their trophy.
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Naibiri Health Center II and how one nurse’s persistence paid off!

Meet Kamoyi Wilson a nurse at the Naibiri Health Center II in Uganda

Kamoyi Wilson Nurse at the Naibiri Health Center II
Kamoyi Wilson stands in front of the Naibiri Health Center II in Uganda

Even as a child Kamoyi Wilson knew what he wanted to do with his life. He wanted to help people!

His dream was to one day become a doctor, so in school he focused on science classes. “Helping the sick has always been my passion” he explains.

Unfortunately for Wilson, the fees to go to a medical school were too much for his family to afford, so instead he decided to become a nurse.

Starting work at the Naibiri Health Center II

After his graduation he started working at the Naibiri Health Center II and immediately fell in love with the work. The hours were long and exhausting, but every day he got to help people and would go to sleep each night tired but happy.

After a few months he started thinking ways he could make things better for the patients. There were two issues that continued to kept him up at night. The first was that the medical center did not always have enough medicine and when it did, it wasn’t always the best. He began to lobby for better access to medications and eventually his efforts paid off. Now the health clinic has all of the medicine it needs! With that issue solved, he turned his thoughts to the second issue – access to clean water.

The Water Situation at Naibiri

While the facility was not entirely without water, the situation was far from ideal. They had a system that collected rainwater from their roof into a large tank. However this rainwater system had no filter and the rusty roof and dusty pipes affected both the taste and the purity.

During the rainy season and for the next few months the facility had water, but during the dry season, the situation was more desperate. With the tank dry, the only option was to walk for water. The nearest well was a long walk from the center, and coupled with the sheer volume of patients being treated each day, it began taking a toll on the staff.

The health center’s cleaner volunteered to take on the task of fetching water, but she soon realized that she was spending more time walking to and from the well than doing her job. As a result, the facility was not as clean or hygienic as it needed to be.  She would also end each day exhausted. Other staff members and even patients and visitors tried to help by taking turns walking to the well, but there was never enough water.

The local authorities were sympathetic, but unable to help. Their priority had to be supplying the medicine and while they saw the importance of clean water, they just didn’t have the funds.

How it Looks Today

Drop in the Bucket were  in town meeting with the local district water office and were told about the water situation at the health center. We were looking for a health center in the area and after the meeting went straight to Naibiri. As soon as we saw the situation, we knew we were in the right place. This was somewhere that could really use our help.

We commissioned a hydro-geological survey and found a location that was likely to support a well. The drilling itself was fairly straightforward and within a day we drilled down 50 meters to hit water. The test results were great! This water was clean and free of impurities or contaminants.

The Naibiri health center now has clean water and everything has changed! Wilson couldn’t be happier and the staff are beyond grateful for his persistent lobbying.

Naibiri Health Center IINaibiri Health Center II

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Personal Stories

Laminogwiri Community School – Where the Drop in the Bucket Drilling Team Made New Friends for Life

Laminogwiri – Where Drop in the Bucket drillers made a new friend for life

When your work involves traveling to remote villages and providing them with clean water, it is easy to make new friends. But sometimes the people you meet become lifelong friends. That was the case with Opiyo Richard from Laminogwiri village in Uganda.

The process of drilling a borehole well starts with a visual inspection. Our advance team scouts the location looking for potential sites to drill.

It was on our first visit to Laminogwiri that we met Opiyo Richard. The drillers were greeted by his warm, inviting smile, little did they know it would be the start of a long friendship.

Opiyo works in the village as a motorcycle mechanic. He heard one of our field trucks approaching and looked up from his work. “When I saw that it was the team that would drill for us the borehole (Drop in the Bucket), I immediately came and joined them, showing them around and levelling the grass,” recalls Opiyo.

A potential site for the well was soon found and Opiyo could barely contain his delight. “I was so excited to see the drilling rig arrive. I came to help them settle in and ended up staying until the borehole was completed,” says Opiyo. “I was here for the handing over ceremony and I will always be near this borehole” adds Opiyo proudly.

Opiyo was there helping the drillers every day, happy to give his time and energy. He had paying work coming in, but felt that he needed to be there helping. The drillers loved his enthusiasm and were happy to have him around helping. Asked why he put aside his other commitments, Opiyo replied, “You don’t know how badly we needed clean water in this village”

Opio shows us the old water source.

Opio took us to see the old water source. We started walking and eventually we reached a muddy open water hole. “We used to drink from this dirty pond. We shared it with pigs and cows. As for the distance? Well, now you know how far we just walked”.

The old water source at Laminogwiri in UgandaThe pond water was muddy and stagnant. Definitely not water most people would even consider drinking, but for people of Laminogwiri, it was the only option.

The community members would stand in the water and scoop water into their buckets and containers.
Komakech Daniel, a local schoolboy remembers, “Our school uniforms are white, so when we washed them with water from the pond they got dirtier”.

“During rainy season, the water on the ground runs into the pond, making it even muddier. With no other options, we still came here to fetch water. The next pond is just past that hill over there,” says Oyella Nancy pointing towards the horizon.

With her baby tied on her back, Oyella Nancy and other community members gather to thank Drop in the Bucket at the commissioning of their borehole.

“We used his dirty water to bathe our babies and wash their clothes. We knew it was unhealthy, but what could we do?” adds Oyella with her baby on her back. Her face informs us that even as she was doing it, she was painfully aware of the risks of drinking dirty water shared with pigs and cows.

The New Well at Laminogwiri

The new well drilled by Drop in the Bucket at the Laminogweri school in Uganda
A male students gets clean water from the new well at Laminogweri School.

Aol Mary looks at the new borehole and smiles “You just heard that school boy talking about washing his clothes with dirty water and you heard my neighbors talking about their children getting sick from drinking dirty water, well all of those problems have now been solved”.

Opiyo is sad to see his new friends leave, but he assures us that we are always welcome in the village and will always know where to find him. “I will be right here by the borehole, taking good care of it and making sure there are never any problems. But don’t let that stop you from coming to visit us” he adds with a laugh.

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Layik West – a man wanted to get his village water so he ran for office

Layik West – the place where people fight.

Layik West in Uganda has many needs! The village lacks basic amenities like a school, a health center, drivable roads or any kind of police presence. But above all, the community’s biggest issue was their lack of clean water. At the time the village was using a protected spring for water. This is where someone builds a small cement structure around a naturally occurring stream or hand dug waterhole. They insert a metal pipe through the cement and use it to collect water. The cement provides some protection but the water is still groundwater and not safe to drink.

Over time the pipes rusted and the water came out slowly. This made collecting water a slow and frustrating experience. The spring became known locally as ‘Wang ali’ which translates as “The place where people quarrel, or fight”.

Hon Ocaya Denis a local leader from Layik West village in Uganda
Hon Ocaya Denis from Layik West village talks to Drop in the Bucket

One man concerned about the water situation was Hon. Ocaya Denis. He decided to run for local office so that he could help the people of Layik West. “We can wait on the roads, but we cannot wait for clean water!” He says emphatically.

“You never get used to seeing a woman collecting water with pigs standing next to her”

 “The spring was also being used by animals. You never get used to seeing a woman collecting water for drinking and cooking while pigs are standing in the same water.” Mr Ocaya said shaking his head. Ocaya decided to become a village leader. He reached out to the local District Water Office who put him in touch with Drop in the Bucket.

Atoo Jamila using a well drilled by Drop in the Bucket in Layik West Uganda
Atoo Jamila uses a well drilled by Drop in the Bucket

“We were also watching people crowding the water pipe and quarreling with each other, as they collected water.” agrees Atoo Jamila, a mother of five.

The root cause of the conflict

Another local leader, Kilama Geofrey agrees. “The majority of issues reported to me were trivial quarrels that happened while collecting water”. This led to tension between community members. “We are happy that Drop in the Bucket has finally solved this problem for us”.

Avoid dirty water sources and only drink water from the new well

Along with drilling the new well, DROP’s staff also helped the community form a water committee they trained in hygiene and sanitation. One woman who received training was Lamaro Miriam who volunteered to be a health leader. Now members of the community come to her when they are feeling unwell. “Mothers bring their children to me with signs of typhoid and bilharzia. Unfortunately, I am not qualified to treat those ailments, but I am able to tell them how to avoid getting sick again” she smiles. The most common advice she gives to tell them to avoid dirty water sources and only drink water from the new well.

Lamaro Miriam from the Layik West water committee set up by Drop in the Bucket
Lamaro Miriam from the Layik West water committee

“We are very grateful. Many organizations work here in Uganda, but only Drop in the Bucket came and drilled us a borehole” appreciates Lamaro.

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