An update on our work at the St Francis Madera School for the Blind
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has donated to our fundraising campaign to provide clean water and toilets at the Madera School for the Blind in Uganda. This is the largest project we have ever taken on for a single school and it is considerably more expensive than anything we have done in the past, but it is also one of the projects we are most proud of.
Construction at the boys’ urinal at the St Francis Madera school for the blind in Uganda.
Two sight impaired children walk past the new toilets at the St Francis Madera School for the Blind
Here are some photos that show the construction that is coming along nicely. Both sets of septics are now finished and both sets of toilets are almost done. In the photos you can see a sink and the boys urinal that are close to being finished. We still have to finish the showers and we still need to raise some money for the solar pump. If you are interested in making a donation please click here
Thank you so much for making this all possible with your amazing generosity and support.
At DROP, we love sharing stories of our work but it’s always nice when someone else see the significance of our work and decides to share it, too.
Below is an article from Uganda’s largest newspaper, the New Vision. We were pleased with the piece but need to point out one inaccuracy: The story says that the technology behind the toilets is from South Africa. In reality, we first designed and began building these types of sanitation systems in Uganda in 2007 using a roundabout pump we had custom built. The South African based NGO, Water For All, donated 20 similar pumps, one of which was used for this project.
This particular school project was made possible by a donation from an Ohio-based company called Earnest Machine. Every time a donor sponsors a well, we like to include an inscription of the donor’s choosing, and Earnest Machine decided to have us inscribe their slogan, “Intentionally Better.” We loved those words because they a standard for something to aspire to for everyone involved in the project, from Earnest Machine to DROP to Hope Junior.
The school is new performing better than ever at their end-of-term exams. Before the toilets, many children—primarily girls—were forced to drop out. Not only are many of them back in school now, but other kids in the district are coming to the school as well. Since we built the toilets, the school has hired new teachers and added three buildings, including a separate nursery school. Now allow New Vision to share with you our latest success story.
New Vision – April 11th 2015
Pupils of Hope Junior School washing their hands after visiting toilet.
Photos and text By Francis Emorut
Government has been asked to adopt new flush toilet technology from South Africa for schools across the country to curb poor hygiene.
The flush toilets technology the first of its kind has been installed at Hope Junior School in Soroti district.
According to Julius Olobo the manager of Drop in the Bucket the new technology has become a model of learning in Soroti district.
The toilets are clean and are used by a population of 324 pupils of Hope Junior School.
Water and sanitation officers in eastern region appealed to government to replicate the technology countryside to combat poor hygiene and relief from a burden of digging pit latrines after they become full.
Pupils of Hope Junior School fetching water connected to flush toilets in Soroti district using new technology.
“The government should take advantage of the new technology and spread it countryside,” Bony Komakech, the environmental health officer in Nakapiripirit said.
Komakech was supported by Ronald Ssebuliba a technical water officer in Wakiso district who said the new technology would facilitate good practices of hygiene and therefore, government should spearhead the crusade to have such facility installed in every school.
Sr. Christine Nanyazi the head of women’s Group in Kaabong district said the new flush toilet technology is ideal for schools since they have big population and it will promote good hygiene
The flush toilets are constructed in the form of pit-latrine separated for both boys and girls but has underground water tank of 4,000 litres while the tank erected up contains 1,000 litres of water.
The two tanks supply constant water to the toilets using a motorized system.
The motorized system is connected to the borehole, wheel pump and to the tanks.
“Many interested parties including the ministry of education have visited this place to learn how the flush toilet technology works,” Olobo the manager of Drop in the Bucket told water and sanitation regional officers.
The water and sanitation officers were in a field tour organized by Water and Sanitation Network Uganda (UWASNET).
Olobo explained that technology is the first pilot project in Teso region while in Acholi and Lango sub-regions the technology is available in six and five schools respectively.
According to Olobo the technology was borrowed from South Africa and it costs sh80m.
Olobo said the flush toilets can be used for a period of 20-50 years. It has septic tank.
He said it’s ideal because it saves school administration from constant digging of latrines.
“It has become a centre of learning in Teso region,” Olobo said.
The cleanness of the toilets has contributed to retention of girls in school.
Pupils of Hope Junior School in Soroti district playing using a roundabout pump that is used in the new technology.
“Because the place is clean the menstruating girls can pad themselves,” the school’s headteacher Julius Edwonu noted.
Edwonu also pointed out that both the boys and girls supervise each other and this ensures cleanness for both toilets.
The technology enables pupils to sit on the wheel pump (popularly known as Mary go system) and rotate themselves around moving in a faster speed.
Earlier the water and sanitation officers were trained in documenting success stories in the water and sanitation sector.
“You should be able to document a success story that informs your partners of achievements made in water and sanitation,” Rehema Aanyu the UWASNET liaison and advocacy officer said.
The water and sanitation officers promised to ensure that the flush toilet technology is adopted in their respective districts.
Water and sanitation officers examining a septic tank for the flush toilets of Hope Junior School in Soroti district.
This article was originally published in Uganda’s New Vision newspaper. To view it on their website please go to this link.
Help Shine a New Light for Blind Children in Uganda
Every child deserves a clean and safe place to learn and play. Help us build a proper sanitation facility for the only School for the Blind in Uganda.
For many parents in Uganda, just taking care of basic needs for themselves and their children can be challenging. Taking care of a blind child with special needs is just not possible for many families.
The St. Francis Primary School for the Blind fulfills those needs. Since 1955, it has been the only school in all of Uganda dedicated to educating visually impaired children.
One of the biggest problems facing the school is sanitation. The school’s only toilet is a single dirty pit latrine that would be intolerable even for children with sight. Moreover, this single toilet is currently shared among the boys and girls. The school desperately needs better and separate toilets.
Drop In The Bucket is a nonprofit organization that has been building wells and sanitation systems in schools throughout Africa. We have reconfigured the design of our toilet specifically for these children. The total cost of the project will be $80,000.
If you could imagine what your day would be like without a toilet, please consider making a donation. Just a $20 donation will help provide a cleaner place for these kids to thrive.
Winnie Ayute (15 years), Agama Primary School:
I’m in Primary Six and our school is one of the largest schools in the district. There are 790 pupils including 342 girls. Before Drop in the Bucket drilled a well on the school compound, nearest source of water was a swamp at the Agule village which is about two kilometers away. We used to fetch water, which meant carrying 20-litre jerry cans on our heads. We hated the task because it is very far to walk and we had to walk through bushes. Because the filled jerry cans were heavy we would have to stop and rest along the way. Our teachers would angry when we were late getting back to class.
Sometimes boys from the village would wait for us at the water source and would mess with us. Usually they were just playing, but they would grab our containers, which made us even later. After school I would walk home at 5pm in the evening. Once I was home I would be told to fetch water from the same source for our home. At school we would fetch water in a group but at home I would go alone, which would scare me.
We are now happy that we no longer walk distances to fetch water. The bore hole Drop drilled at our school is located within the compound and it has clean water for us to drink and wash. I also come here to collect water when I return home, so I’m saved from walking in the bushes and I will no longer be disturbed by boys. I feel I’m safe now because of Drop in the Bucket and the well.
We just launched our new fundraising platform that allows people to contribute the individual items that it takes to build a well, and our good friends at Kilograph helped us put together this great Holiday video.
You can check out the video here
Or go straight to this link to see how you can help.
Industrial machinery giant Gardner Denver has donated a state-of-the-art drilling compressor to Drop in the Bucket! This top of the line compressor has found a new home at our compound in Soroti, Uganda, and will be instrumental in speeding up water drilling efforts. Thanks to this partnership, we will get more women off the path fetching water, and onto the path towards a higher education. For more information about this partnership please click here.
Norah Aligoyi is 18 years and is in Grade Seven at Aakum Primary School in Katakwi district of Eastern Uganda. She has one brother and one sister. They all walk about one mile each day to get to their school. At school, they had to walk another
mile to get to the nearest water source. Norah told us “I’m happy that Drop in the Bucket decided to dig a borehole (well) at our school because it has relieved us from the burden of having to walk so far to fetch water. We shall save so much time
that we were wasting walking for water. I think this will help us concentrate on our studies and perform better. I’m also happy that I will get the opportunity to wash and bathe at school. We are so happy that we now have clean drinking water at our school.”
Recent violence in South Sudan has resulted in an estimated 10,000 deaths and over 950,000 people being forced to flee their homes. Right now these people are now living in temporary shelters called internally displaced persons (IDP) camps which have been set up in or around South Sudan. The IDPs often contain over 50,000 people per camp and some of the larger ones have over 110,000.
While aid groups like UNICEF and the World Food Program are working to provide food, water and plastic sheets for basic shelter, the threat of disease is always looming. An outbreak of typhoid, cholera or dysentery would be catastrophic for the people in the camps, particularly for the elderly, children and to people with already compromised immune systems.
The solution is simple: SOAP! Something we take for granted in our everyday life, can literally keep people healthy and alive in South Sudan right now. A recent assessment by the UN stated that in many of the camps no soap was available at all. The report also stated that with so many people living in such close proximity, access to soap is often more effective in saving lives that any medicine or vaccine.
Our goal is to provide 1,000 cases of soap to the IDPs in Eastern Equatoria and across the border in Uganda. With your help, our experienced field teams and the fact that we have the transportation already in place can provide the people in the camps with locally made soap right now. There are 110,000 refugees who may not survive without you.
Please check out SOAP FOR SUDAN www.soapforsouthsudan.com and see how you can help. Soap saves lives!
It’s that most wonderful time of the year, and the stores are all about to be filled with people frantically shopping for that perfect gift for that special someone. This year you can avoid the crowded stores and pick up the perfect gift without having to brave the traffic or the cold weather. We are happy to bring you the new Drop in the Bucket Holiday card!
The cards are printed with a photo from a well we built this year in Uganda and this particular photo really does a great job of showing the life changing effect of clean water. The cards come in packs of 10 and 20, are printed on high quality glossy paper and come with their own envelopes.
Inside the cards have the words “Happy Holidays and best wishes for the New Year” in large letters, and below that “A donation has been made in your name to help build wells and sanitation systems at schools in Africa.”
This year give the gift that keeps giving. The gift of water is the gift of life!
To pick up your cards please click this link.
