Layik West is in Kitgum District, northern Uganda, where access to safe water is severely limited—a challenge made worse by the influx of refugees from South Sudan fleeing conflict.
Before Drop in the Bucket drilled a borehole, the community relied on what locals call a “protected spring,” which is a somewhat misleading term.
A protected spring is produced when member of the community use clues like vegetation, tree lines, terrain dips, and damp soil—to make an informed guess about where there may be a water source just below the surface. They dig down just a few feet and if they are able to use it as a water source as is, they call it an unprotected spring. Or they may opt to construct a small brick-and-cement wall around the water source with a short outlet pipe to channel the flow. This is known as a protected spring. Both options usually only produce groundwater, which is prone to contamination, so even the protected version, does not really provide any protection from contamination.
The community from Layik West had built a protected spring. Over time the pipe started to rust until water barely tricked out of well. This became a problem for members of the community who grew frustrated waiting for water. The spring became a source of conflict within the community.
Drop in the Bucket were approached about drilling a well for this community to provide them with safe water, but also to stop the conflict.
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