Skyrocketing Food and Fuel Prices Impact the Most Vulnerable

Western news outlets are reporting daily on the direct impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. There are global economic ramifications that are wreaking havoc on the vulnerable communities in Africa and are impacting our ability to do our work.

News outlets throughout sub-Saharan Africa are reporting from streets filled with protesters who are fed up with the rising costs of food and fuel, which have reached an all-time high.

And the impact is felt all the way down to the village level, where basic necessities are becoming unaffordable. Because in Africa, fuel prices directly impact the cost of everything else. And sky-high transport costs directly lead to food inflation. And at DROP we are feeling this as a direct hit. We have donors who funded wells six months ago at a cost of $6000. But now, due to this inflation, it is costing us $7500 to drill those wells.

According to World Economic Forum’s May 2022 report,

“Sub-Saharan African countries find themselves facing another severe and exogenous shock. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a surge in food and fuel prices that threatens the region’s economic outlook”

Village Life in Uganda

The situation is particularly troubling for Ugandans who were dealt a traumatic economic hit when the country shut down for 10 months in 2020 due to Covid. And schools remained closed 80 weeks in total.

So now, just as the population is preparing bounce back, the country is being confronted with the exorbitant costs of everything. In recent months, the country has seen the price of commodities such as soap jump to more than double the regular price.

DROP is also feeling the impact in our work. Our Uganda drilling team is currently in Iganga district drilling 20 wells, mostly for schools and the amount we are spending on fuel is higher than it has ever been?

The daily challenges we normally encounter in our work, are compounded exponentially, as market prices fluctuate daily. Some key materials have increased as much as 50%. And cargo shipments can delay up to six-months due to supply-chain issues.

How this is affecting our work

To make up for this drastic increase in costs, our field teams are foregoing a community empowerment activity that we love to provide in the villages where we work. Whenever possible, we train local community members (half women) to become hand pump mechanics. They can then use these skills to repair their own wells and operate as a business repairing wells in other villages.

As summer 2022 draws to an end, we are appealing to our drop family to consider making a contribution, however small, to help us bridge the funding gaps we are encountering due to this economic crisis.

$1000 – will fund a Pump Mechanics training for eight people.

$500 – will cover the increase if fuel costs for the drilling of one well

$200 – will help feed the drillers for one month

$100 – will help bridge the increase in costs for installation materials for one well.

Please consider making a donation

Ngom Rom – “Places are the same”

Ngom Rom is a small village located about 25 kms outside Gulu city. The name Ngom Rom, when translated into English, means “Places are the same”. But one thing that separated Ngom Rom from other places was that it had no clean water.

When Drop in the Bucket was first approached about drilling a well for Ngom Rom, we knew this would not be an easy project. We would be drilling in an area best described as “water stressed”. Other organizations had already tried to drill in the area and were unsuccessful. Otim Geofrey, the Mayor of Pece- Laroo, took us to meet the local community.  One of the first questions we asked them was “How would the community feel if the only place we could find water was in the middle of someone’s farm, business location or house? With no hesitation, the entire community replied that they would be willing to give up some of their land if it meant everybody would get clean water.

A village with a giving spirit

We surveyed several locations to find the spot most likely to yield sufficient water for the entire village. The most promising location ended up being in a woman named Angom Hellen’s garden. The elderly woman laughed and said she would be happy to donate land for the well. “We meant what we said when we pledged that the borehole should be drilled in the best location. And if the best place had been inside my home, I would have gladly sacrificed that too”.

Auma Alice, an elected local community leader, was proud to point out that this same giving spirit was consistent while the well was drilled. The local community came out in force to help assist the drillers. They also dug a soak pit and built a fence around the well to keep it safe. Even workers from the local quarry came by to help.

“We used to depend on water from the Unyama river water.” recalls Atoo Betty, a mother of three. She shakes her head when she explains how they always found mud and other dirt settled at the bottom of the containers they used for fetching water. “We would let the water sit for a while until the dirt settled on the bottom and then we would pour off the clear water from the top of the container.  We knew the water wasn’t clean, but it was cleaner than the rest, so we used it.”

The New Well

Nyeko James Laten, the Chairman of the newly formed water committee, explained how before the borehole was drilled, all of the surrounding villages got their water from the Unyama river. “People from other villages are now coming to get clean water from the borehole,” states Nyeko.

While the water committee at Ngom Rom are happy to share their water, Nyeko asked us earnestly if it would be possible for Drop in the Bucket to help these other communities by drilling them wells too. Nyeko’s face lights up with a smile as he says “The name of our village means a place like other places. Wouldn’t it be nice if every village was like ours and had clean water?”

 

Wii Aceng Primary School Now Has a Working Water Well

The water situation in Te-Aceng village could best be described as challenging. Consensus among hydrologists said it was unlikely that anyone would be able to drill a well in the area. This was reinforced by the fact that over the years several organizations had attempted this but were unsuccessful. In fact, the nearest source of clean water was a borehole well 15 km (9.3 miles) away.

This lack of water affected the entire community as most people were drinking from streams and water holes. The majority of these water sources were seasonal, meaning they would be completely dry during the hotter months. When this happened people were forced to walk the long distance to the well. The situation at the school put a lot of pressure on the children. Teachers would ask the older girls to fetch water from the well. They would go knowing they would be missing out on important lessons while they walked the long distance to the well and back.

How the Lack of Clean Water Made Me Drop Out of School and Broke Up Friendships

Nancy, Aciro Vicky, and Apio Jovan Franca were best friends. While they were not related, the three girls considered themselves sisters. Because Apio was the oldest of the three, when the teachers needed someone to fetch them water, she was the one they asked. The trip was long and exhausting, particularly due to the weight of water she would have to carry back. At first, Apio didn’t mind being asked, but she started to feel like she was being asked too often. Inevitably, she started getting discouraged about school and finally stopped going.

Aciro and Nancy still attend the school, but they miss their friend and wish she was still there with them. They explain that if a teacher asks you to fetch water, you don’t really have the option of saying no. They add that the water situation at the school had caused many students to drop out. Apio soon met a boy, and they had a child together. At this point, the chances of her finishing her education are slim.

A Related Problem

Okello Hellen, a parent of two pupils at the school, says they had resorted to rationing clean water. She tried sending their children to school with their water in used plastic bottles, but with limited success. “The problem is that our children would always come back home crying, complaining that other older boys would forcefully take their water and they do not want to go back to school because of that,” confides Hellen. She was afraid that her two boys would drop out of school like so many other village children.

Drop in the Bucket Drilled a Well for the Wii Aceng Primary School

In July 2021, Drop in the Bucket sent a hydrologist to Te-Aceng village to assess the water situation. We wanted to see if there was any chance to drill a well on or near the school property. After several tests, the hydrologist found a site he felt had potential. Soon after, we dispatched a team of drillers to the location. It was not an easy drill, but Drop in the Bucket’s team did manage to strike water. We are happy to announce that Wii-Aceng primary school now has a working well. The well is used by the school and the local community who are so thankful to no longer have to walk long distances for water.

Mr. Nyeko Richard thanked Drop in the Bucket for drilling the well, calling it a miracle. He is convinced that the school will experience fewer cases of children dropping out, and he is hopeful the school will now be able to retain more female teachers. The lack of clean water did not just affect the students; the teachers were also struggling with the lack of clean water.

Okello Hellen is sure the bullying will stop now that every child has access to all the clean water they need. Apio wishes she had stayed at school and regrets dropping out. She asked us to pass on this message to other students in her situation: “Stay in school, no matter what and do not follow in my footsteps. The current pupils are lucky to have what I did not – clean water.”

Help us help more people with clean water! Your donations make our work possible!

Learn more about our ongoing projects and how we are making a difference in communities across Africa.

 

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.

Help us continue providing clean water in Africa! Your donations make our work possible!

Learn more about our ongoing projects and how we are making a difference in communities across Africa.

 

A Health Center with No Clean Water

Mercy Aloyo is a fifth grade (primary five) student from Tobi, Uganda, who has just come down with Malaria. Malaria is a parasitic disease carried by mosquitoes that causes flu-like symptoms and can result in serious problems or even death without treatment. Mercy walks about 2 miles (3km) to Pakeyo Health Center II in order to get the medicine she needs. The center does not have an indoor waiting room, so she waits with the other patients in the hot midday sun to see one of Payeko’s health professionals.

Pakeyo Health Center II is a very busy facility which sees over fifty patients a day.  It also does not have a source of running water. The healthcare workers are often too busy tending to patients to fetch water throughout the day. When this happens, patients like Mercy are given the task of fetching water. She will bring water for everyone to drink while they wait to receive care. Last week while Mercy was waiting to receive her treatment she was sent to fetch water from the closest source, a community well that sits on the other side of Pakeyo’s main road.

Sick Patients Sent to Fetch Clean Water for the Health Center

All of the patients tasked with take a ten liter jug and wait for a break in traffic. When there is a break they will cross the busy road. Then Mercy waited in line with the other community members. When it was her turn, shefilled up the jug with water. She then crossed back to the center hauling 22lb (1 kg) of water. This dangerous activity is what allows Mercy and the other patients to stay hydrated while they wait to be seen.  Mercy is happy to go despite her fear of crossing such a busy road. Even though she is a young girl, she has been the best choice to fetch water because the other patients are often too sick to help.

The Health Risk of Sharing Water Containers

Getting the water to Pakeyo Health Center II is not the only challenge posed by the lack of a well at the facility. If there were running water at Pakeyo, patients would bring their own water jugs to fill and drink directly from them. Since they are all sharing one jug, they also must share the only available cup. This poses serious health risks, especially with the current coronavirus pandemic. Having a well at the center would mean that the patients could have clean water to drink. They would also be better able to keep themselves and their families safe from coronavirus.

Update: Thanks to a generous Drop in the Bucket donor, the Pakeyo Health Center now has its  own source of clean water due to the newly drilled well.

A School in Uganda Where People and Livestock Were Drinking the Same Water

The Ogwari Primary School is clearly visible from the road. A person driving by might have thought this school and the whole community were thriving. But what you wouldn’t see from the road was a water situation that was both alarming and sometimes deadly. Now thanks to new well drilled by Drop in the Bucket, things are looking up for the local residents. 

Before the well

Mr. Oree Okello Jackson, the elderly headteacher of the Ogwari Primary School reveals that the community shared the same shallow well with animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

According to Mr. Oree, “Once pigs enter your water source, and dip their mouths in it, you should consider it unsafe.” The pigs and other livestock are free to roam around the area. While they’re drinking, they stand in the water and often urinate and defecate. This same waterhole has been sustaining the entire community for drinking, cooking and domestic use.

The real negative effect

Sometimes, when there were no adults around, local children would also bathe in the water hole. Although, the community knew the water was unclean and not safe to drink, there was no other option. Oree said the contamination was visible as you could see small organisms swimming in the buckets of water people collected for their homes.

Ejang Sharon, a housewife and mother of three, painfully recounted the time her three-year-old daughter Adong Bridget fell critically ill and was rushed to the hospital after a series of stomach pains and vomiting. 

The test results revealed that Adong had contracted bilharzia, a chronic disease caused by water-borne parasitic worms. Known to damage the internal organs and potentially lead to death, Ejang was terrified that she was going to lose her daughter to the illness. Luckily, Adong was treated just in time.

The doctor advised Ejang to always boil water before giving it to her family to drink. While she tried her best to comply, she said a lack of time and scarcity of firewood made it difficult to boil all the water her family needed each day.

The Solution

After inspecting and assessing the dire water situation in Ogwari, Drop in the Bucket drilled a well in the heart of the community. The faces of the community residents lit up with joy as they collected clean water from their brand new well.

“I can rest easy now that I know what happened to my child will not happen again,” beamed Ejang. “Bilharzia has become a thing of the past here.” 

Akite Nancy, a 15-year-old Ogwari primary school student, said she will now have all the clean water she needs and will no longer have to put her life in danger by simply quenching her thirst. 

Mr. Oree was overjoyed that Drop in the Bucket identified his community’s main problem and solved it. Looking to the future, he assured his fellow residents that he would work with Drop in the Bucket to maintain the well and make sure it remains a fixture in the community.

“This is a great blessing,” he said. “Life is surely going to change in this area.”

Clean Water – a Constant Concern for Patients and Staff at the Wii Anaka Health Center in Nwoya, Uganda

Ojok Patrick works at the Wii Anaka Health Center II in Nwoya, Uganda. Every morning he rides his bicycle several miles to fetch water from distant Wang Angila. The water there is piped in, so it is clean and safe for use in a health center. It is also the only safe water in the area, so there are always long lines. The distance and wait make it impossible for Ojok to make more than one trip  each day. When he does make his daily trip, he can only load four containers of water on his bicycle. This water has to be rationed by the entire staff at the health center. The water he brings is used by the patients for drinking and taking their medicine. It is also used by the medical staff for treating patients, and the maintenance staff for cleaning. 

Wilobo Willy George is the laboratory technician at the health center, and he uses the water Ojok brings every day. He says his department is the most affected by the water rationing because they need it for hand washing, cleaning equipment, diluting reagents, and in staining.  Staining is the process of dipping the blood sample for test in a reagent then in water repeatedly. “I have to perform so many tasks that require water, but rarely do I have enough water to complete them,” he says. In many cases, he even has to leave the center to fetch water by bicycle as his patients wait.

A Midwife’s Struggle

“They say ‘why go to a health center when the conditions are the same at home?’”

Sharon Faith – Midwife at the Wii Anaka Health Center III in Uganda.

Aber Sharon Faith, the midwife at the health center, says they never have enough water in the maternity ward. While most people realize that delivering babies requires water, clean water is also needed for cooking. Additionally, the maternity room must be thoroughly cleaned before delivering each baby. This lack of water at the facility discourages expectant mothers from going to the hospital to give birth. Many mothers prefer to have their baby at home rather than a facility that lacks clean water. Aber shakes her head resignedly, “they say, ‘why go to a health center when the conditions are the same at home?’”

During the dry season, even the piped water runs out. This leaves the health center with no choice but to use any water they can find. In rural Africa the water situation is often dire with people drinking water from dirty water holes and ponds. The health center installed a rain water harvesting tank. This has proven useful during rain season, but it’s not uncommon to find dead lizards in the tank, contaminating the water and making it unsafe. 

Drop In The Bucket drills a well for the Wii Anaka Health Center II in Nwoya, Uganda

Thanks to a generous donation from the Feya Foundation and Causebox, Drop In The Bucket were able to drill a well for the Wii Anaka Health Center. The staff and locals celebrated after DROP finished drilling the well. The community donated a goat and held a celebratory feast.

“I, in particular, celebrated the fact that I will finally have enough water for all my laboratory needs,” said a thrilled Wilobo. 

“Before the well, we would often be short on water when women went into labor during the night.  Now we have water right in our yard,” said the excited midwife Aber. “We shall now have enough water for swallowing our tablets, and we might not even need to carry water from home like before,” states Adok Joan, a patient who came for treatment.