The Global Women’s
Water Initiative Team has been traveling through East Africa to visit the women
teams that were trained in our 2011-2012 year long training program. Meet the people whose lives they are
changing.
GWWI Team - Gemma
Bulos, Director; Rose Wamalwa, Kenya/Tanzania Field Coordinator; Comfort
Mukasa, Uganda Field Coordinator
“You cannot even study when you are thirsty.
Even the work of the school administration becomes difficult.” Administrator at Amuria High School
The 200 female boarders at Amuria High School in Amuria,
Uganda no longer have to leave their classes to fetch water or miss school
entirely when they were menstruating thanks to GWWI graduates Florence and
Eunice of Orphans and Widows Association for Development. Florence and Eunice
received funding from a local WaterAid partner who not only sponsored them to
build a rainwater harvesting system with a 15,000 liter tank (approx. 4000
gallons) on their dormitory but also to a cleaning bay where the girls can
bathe between classes when they have their period.
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| Eunice |
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| Florence |
The 200 girls who live in the school dormitory would be required to fetch water during school hours, which could sometimes take up to
3-4 hours increasing their risk of getting attacked and defiled. When they got
their periods, they would miss school entirely or even drop out because there
was not enough water for them to clean themselves.
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| Student fetches water at the new tank behind her dorm |
According to the school health officer, having the rainwater
harvesting tank and access to water has created so many opportunities not only
for the girls but also for the school. The school kitchen would have to wait for
water to cook, and now the meals can be served on time so the girls have the
energy for their studies. Sometimes up to 5 girls a day would faint from
dehydration, but now have clean water to drink. The project even united
families in the community who came together to donate time and materials for
the construction of the tank. And the most exciting, according to the head
teacher, the money they saved from spending 8000UGX per day on clean water
(approx. $3.25US) and medical expenses when students fell ill from
water-related disease (upwards of 300,000UGX approx. $120US/week) as well as
donations from the community, the high school has been able to accumulate over
11million UGX (approx. $4,400) of the 18million they need to complete
construction of a borehole that will serve the community at large.
Water is changing the game in Amuria. And everyone WINS!
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