Even when they did their best to conserve, it took many trips to the distant watering hole to meet their basic needs. They had to rise early to reach water before the livestock. When they finally arrived after a long walk, they often had to wait in line for their turn to collect it.  During busy times, the wait could be hours.  Because they are limited to only the amount they can carry, they had to make this same, long journey many times throughout the day.  The majority of their day was spent collecting this most basic necessity and left little time for anything else. Recently, Daphene’s village of Ajesan, Uganda received a new well providing clean water, and her life completely changed.  Clean water is now accessible to Daphne and her family within a relatively short distance. She and her sister can now easily help her mother make several trips to collect water in a fraction of the time that it previously took. Additionally, it is much easier for Daphene’s mother to make a trip or two to collect water throughout the day without her, and they all have more time to do other things.  Daphene is now using her new found gift of time to go to school and dreams of becoming a teacher or a nurse.  Daphene’s mother is grateful for the new opportunities that are available to her and her children, and for the bright future that is ahead of them.

In an attempt to obtain clean water, Fred and Ivan would either purchase bottled water when finances would allow, or they would walk very long distances each day to collect clean water from the nearest source. Walking to collect clean water took large amounts of time and greatly impeded their production capabilities, while the expense of purchasing bottled water made it nearly impossible for them to generate a profit.

When Family Humanitarian drilled a borehole in their village of Bugema, Uganda, it changed their lives and the lives of their families. “We can now access clean water at any time at no cost. We have more time to run our business and it is now profitable. We can use the money we make from selling chapati to take care of our families,” said Fred. Fred and Ivan have plans to expand their business to surrounding villages which will not only allow them to generate an even greater income, but will provide jobs and an income for even more villagers.

Access to clean water impacts lives in ways you may not have imagined!

Stomach aches, skin rashes and sores, diarrhea, lethargy, and intestinal parasites were just an accepted way of life.  Mary, like most people in sub-saharan, rural Africa, lost several members of her immediate and extended family, including one child, to water-borne illnesses.  This dirty water that she spent so much time and energy collecting was both life-giving and life-taking. She never considered that there could be an alternative. Then Family Humanitarian drilled a well in her village, providing a reliable source of clean water for the very first time. She immediately began to see life change.  Stomach issues and skin conditions quickly became rare, energy and joy intensified, and illness virtually vanished.  Mary is filled with gratitude watching her grandchildren live a happy and healthy life that she and her children could have previously only dreamed of.  She says, “It brings me such joy to see my grandchildren growing up so strong and healthy because of our clean water.”