New Country. New Project. Same Problem.

Nabuklaua, a sub division of the impoverished Bugiri District, lies in Eastern Busoga in South East Uganda. It is an agricultural society where only 26% of the population, of 80,000, have access to clean water. The rest rely mostly on open seasonal ponds for their water needs.

The ponds are highly contaminated with EColi and other water born contaminates spreading intestinal disease throughout the community.

The government accepts 10-20 counts of E-Coli per 100 mm. Water quality analysis of the pond water in Nabuklau shows an average of 1,000 counts of E-Coli per 100mm.

Wherever the Need, working in partnership with the Busoga Trust, an experienced and effective charity dedicated to providing clean water to the area is planning to construct a number of new wells with the aim of reducing the E-Coli count to zero. Work on the first three wells is about to commence.

The cost of each facility will be approximately £2,000 and each well will serve around 500 people, effectively meaning clean water and all of its benefits can be provided at a cost of just £4 per head. The ongoing maintenance of the wells is paramount as according to national statistics in Uganda only 30% of newly created water sources remain operational due to the lack of maintenance and training.

The Busoga Trust has set up a fullsupport program for each of the wells. It trains pump mechanics who, with the well caretaker and the well management committee, are responsible for each installation. They are backed up, if necessary, by the Diocesan well maintenance team to ensure long term sustainability. Each water source will be communally owned and the whole community is trained in matters of health and hygiene in order to obtain the full benefits of access to clean water.

Helping Uganda and the continent of Africa achieve at least the minimum living standards is an essential task for the world. Providing clean water, the most basic of needs, simply helps to restore the most common right of all human beings.

It is worth remembering that today and every day, 6,000 children worldwide will die of a water related diseases. In context this is approximately one Tsunami per month.