A Water Well Brings Relief to Laliya Dwol Village in Gulu District of Northern Uganda

Water Access Challenges in Gulu District

Laliya Dwol, located in the Gulu District of northern Uganda, is home to more than 400 households and also home to one of the region’s best-performing secondary schools. For years, the people of Laliya Dwol relied on two nearby waterholes for their daily water needs. But the water from both locations was unsafe. The water the community was drinking was often contaminated and a frequent source of illness.

A Temporary Solution That Didn’t Last

When the secondary school was first built, it offered some temporary relief in the form of clean water from a borehole on the school grounds. At first, the community was allowed to use the well, and the change was immediate. People stopped getting sick. The water tasted better. It felt like a fresh start.

But as the school’s enrollment grew, so did the pressure on its water supply. Students needed more water throughout the day, and the long lines at the borehole became unmanageable. Eventually, school leadership had to prioritize water access for students. Villagers were asked to wait—and sometimes turned away entirely. Frustration grew. What had once been a shared resource was now a point of tension between the school and the surrounding community.

A Long-Term Water Solution for Laliya Dwol

When Drop in the Bucket visited the school, it quickly became clear that a second well was needed. Our team saw that building a separate water source for the local community would ease the pressure on the school’s well and restore harmony between students and residents.

Thanks to the generous actions from one of or donors, we were able to drill a new deep water well in Uganda, specifically for the people of Laliya Dwol. The new well produces 2.19 cubic meters of water per hr, which is more than enough to meet the community’s needs.  Today, both the school and the village have access to clean, safe drinking water.

A Clean Water Charity Making an Impact in the Gulu District

Drop in the Bucket has completed more than 700 water projects in East Africa, helping children stay healthy and stay in school. Our goal is not just to bring water, but to ensure long-term sustainability through local training, water user committees, and hygiene education.

This project in Laliya Dwol is a great example of how a single intervention—a new water well—can strengthen community relationships, improve health, and support education. We’re proud to be one of a small but effective group of Africa water organizations working in Uganda toward lasting solutions in places where clean water changes everything.

Want to support a clean water project? Donate today and help us bring safe, sustainable water to more schools and communities across sub-Saharan Africa.