Sandra is 17 years old.  She should be in school but she was forced to drop out 3 years ago because her family needed her to fetch water for their daily needs.  Sandra walks 3 miles each way to collect surface water from an unsafe water source. Sandra is like millions of other young girls whose lives and health and freedom are robbed in the never ending search for water.

Also picture is Elijah, who had to put his dreams on hold because he’s needed to collect water from a great distance.

Nakulabye is a Ward on Nakifuma Town Council which is a semi urban community serving as a trading center for about 10 villages. Nakulabye ward has approximately 100 households. There are also 2 schools with an enrolment of approx 250 children per school.

Most of the people living in this community are doing informal jobs, mainly street vendor, make-shift markets, casual labors in a sugarcane farm and boda boda (motorcycle taxi) riders.

While there is piped water in the town council, the majority of the households can’t afford to have it. The community currently depends on surface ponds filled with rain run off water in swamps.

While the parents go away from homes to work, the children especially the girls, are left with a responsibility of collecting water for the home. It takes much of their time and is hard work.

The community approached WHOlives with a request to drill for them a Community Funded Well. One of the women operating a good stall has offered the space and commitment to vend the water so as to pay back their loan.