Running Water: Uganda

What if your family’s daily water use was limited by what you could carry into your home?

What if that was only a few gallons?

...and what if that water was contaminated?

You see, here in the US of A, it is easy to take clean water for granted. In fact, most of us have access to a massive supply of it on demand. Need to wash your hands? Easy. Need to shower after a hot day working in the yard? No problem. Need to prepare food? Simple—just turn on the faucet and most of our problems are solved. In fact, adults in the US may use up to 100 gallons per day without thinking twice about it.

We are not here to try and change your water consumption. The water we use actually improves our chances of living a long life. What we are hoping to do here is enhance the consumption of those who don’t actually have access to safe water. We are talking about Africa in particular, so let’s get you up to speed:

> Over 1 billion people (15% of the world’s population!) do not have access to safe water

> Worldwide, over 2 million people die every year from diseases related to their water, dominated by diarrhea-related illnesses in children

> 2,200 children under the age of 5 perish every day due to unsafe water

> Due to poor (or a lack of) civil infrastructure, things like safe water, plumbing, and proper sanitation procedures are scarce in thousands of towns and villages in Africa

> A typical person (usually a female, unable to obtain an education due to water responsibilities) in these villages walks a daily 6 mile round trip to fetch unsafe water; the return trip, of course, includes the weight of 5 to 10 gallons of water

> Daily per person water usage in water-deficient villages can be exceeded by a single toilet flush in the US.

We are here to make a difference and provide a village in need with one of life’s essentials—safe water. By minimizing the danger of unsafe water, a village outside of Lira, Uganda, will be able to dramatically improve their quality of life. How do we accomplish this from thousands of miles away? Let’s tackle these questions and more below:

1. How will you help?

2. Who is helping?

3. How much does it cost?

4. How can I help?

5. What is the timeline for completion?

To answer #1, we will build a Spring Protector for a village in the district of Lira, Uganda. A Spring Protector is a cost-effective way to prevent water (in its natural spring) from being contaminated by human and animal waste. It works like this: An existing spring is excavated to it’s source. A brick and concrete-walled structure is constructed downstream from the spring. Gravel is placed behind the structure to filter the water, and is then covered with dirt. Steel pipes penetrate the concrete wall into the gravel. The clean water travels the path of least resistance from the capped spring and down through the pipes into the structure from which the villagers can fill their containers. Lastly, a fence is installed around the spring to keep animals out. It is a dramatic improvement over current conditions.

#2, the collective “We”, refers to four friends, originating from Griswold, Connecticut, with the help of Path Ministries/Otino Waa Children’s Village, out of Bend, Oregon. Casey Wilds, now a Bend resident, has worked with Path Ministries on similar projects with great success. Casey reached out to Eric Palonen, Brian LaGuerre, and Ben Caisse, to help raise the funds needed to build a spring protector.

A Spring Protector, such as described above, has a projected cost of $2,000, and is built at its destination by Path and workers from the village. A spring protector can bring safe water to about 2,000 to 2,500 people—less than $1.00 per person. Even better, it provides clean water year after year. Path has improved over 200 springs, and thus is experienced in building this structure (in addition to their experience with local ordinance). We would partner with them to construct the spring protector in its entirety. You can learn more about Path Ministries here: http://www.otinowaa.org/

Let's get right to #4: To demonstrate how difficult it is to supply daily water to a village household, we will be running an entire week’s worth of “water walks”, crammed into one day. The distance—42 miles—is essentially that daily 6-mile round trip, 7 times in a row. On August 27th, Casey, Ben, Brian, and Eric will run that 42 mile stretch from Woodstock, CT (at the Massachusetts border) down to the Norwich Marina on the Thames River. We chose the Thames River because it’s water source is ultimately the Atlantic Ocean—the body of water that separates us from the continent of Africa.

It is easy to get involved—simply donate to this cause to help bring water to (literally) thousands of people who have no other option. Funds will be provided to Path Ministries so they can begin constructing the spring protector; as soon as the goal is met construction may begin. Construction takes about 3 days, so the village’s water situation will be upgraded in the short term.

While our water is pricey by comparison, the below prices show you just how far your dollars can go when they are actually applied to a situation more dire than ours:

$1.99 - one bottle of water at a gas station (24 oz), single use

$2.49 - a bag of ice to cool beverages, (76 oz), single use

$4.00 - about a year’s worth of toilet flushes (1.5 to 2 gallons), single use

We hope you see how easy it can be to impact someone's life. When the cost of your next bottle of water could pay for years worth of cleaner water for a family in need, the choice is clear.

Thank you for your time and for your donation.