A New Beginning: Awere Health Center III Gets a Lifeline with a New Borehole
Awere, Uganda, only has one Health Center III and it was been facing a critical challenge – a lack of a reliable water source. Awere Health Center III is the lifeline for over fifty expectant mothers each month. The absence of a water source meant that crucial areas like the maternity ward and laboratory were operating without this basic necessity, until now.
The Water Crisis
Ojok Isaac, the Nursing Officer at Awere Health Center III, sheds light on the situation. “Despite the many babies we deliver here, we did not have a water source at the facility. Maternity wards and laboratories should have water at all times,” he confides. At one point the sub-county did have a well but it had been broken for a long time, leaving the health center without a reliable water supply.
This left the health center staff trekking to a well near to the police station. It was not far from the facility, but came with its own set of challenges. Mr Ojok explains “Nobody takes care of the well, so the pump tends to break down and when it does, we have to walk much further for water. This was a constant problem due to the amount of water we need to perform our duties”
A Visit to the Maternity Ward
As we step into the maternity ward on a sunny afternoon, pregnant women and new mothers, along with their babies, are waiting to be attended to. Apio Robina, a nursing assistant, elaborates on the challenges they faced. “We deliver 40-50 babies in a month but, our work was not safe or clean because we had no water,” she shares.
The hospital only has one bed which is used for all of the deliveries, so keeping it was essential. Often, during a delivery, relatives of the expecting women were sent across the road to fetch water more water.
A Mother’s Perspective
Akech Sarah, 29, delivered her daughter at Awere Health Center III in March 2020. She recalls the struggles her caretaker, her grandmother, faced. “When I went into labor, my grandmother had to fetch water from the police station across the road,” Sarah recalls. The lack of a nearby water source added unnecessary burdens during a critical time.
Hope on the Horizon
Hope came for the Awere Health Center III when Drop in the Bucket drilled the facility a well. DROP worked with the local authorities including the sub-county. Ojok is excited about the new well, and proudly introduces us to the security guard whose job will be to make sure nobody is too rough with the hand pump.
The well has a fence around it with a single entrance and exit and with this new borehole, Awere Health Center III is poised for a positive transformation. The days of long treks for water and struggles to maintain cleanliness in the maternity ward are finally in the past. It came as a huge relief for the community, especially for the many mothers who rely on this facility for safe deliveries.
Awere, is a very different place from the place we initially visited. There is a new sense of optimism in the air. The new well represents more than just a new water source; it signifies a renewed commitment to the health and well-being of the community. Awere Health Center III is finally a place where mothers can deliver their babies in a safe and hygienic environment and nobody is happier than their hardworking staff.