We are so excited to share that the suitcase arrived safely and Antonia even added another 50 kits to her suitcase so now Andrew has over 100 kits waiting for distribution. Students are currently on school holidays so these kits won’t be going anywhere soon but at least there is progress!! We will hire Betty to make the remaining pads and bags and also hire Anna to present and distribute the kits for us. Thank you again to Antonia for sharing her luggage space. Things are happening! Webale nnyo! – Erika
Greetings to you all,
I hope that we are all well.
This August continues to behave well with scattered rains around the country and the weather is a little bit more pleasant than the previous months. I guess the rainy season has officially started. It has been very hard to determine the weather recently given the immense impact on global warming majorly caused by poor human behaviours and habits like deforestation, over-industrialization, and other economic activities.
This week, I had the privilege to undertake a project we had spoken about a while ago, to distribute water purifiers. We discovered a local organization that makes water purifiers called “Purifaaya”. They make purifaayas of all sizes and their objective is to help avail local Ugandans with clean drinking water. Through this project, they availed us of water purifaayas called Viva at a 10% discount because of what we do. We purchased 35 water purifaayas, 31 for our Mamas and 4 for the different schools in the communities we serve. The schools were selected on the basis of the work we have done with these schools. The Purifaaya Organization also provided us with a trainer who helped teach the Mamas on how to use and maintain the Purifaayas. It was quite a wonderful experience seeing the Mamas happy and smiling cheek to cheek.
Namuwongo:
We started with the 12 Mamas from Namuwongo and each of them received a Viva water purifaaya for their homes.
These are some of the testimonies from Mamas;
Florence A;
Florence was so emotional because her daughter was brought back in the last week of school because of typhoid.
Francoise L;
” I am very happy to receive this purifaaya. Charcoal is very expensive, I buy charcoal to cook my maize and beans so the remainder is what cooks the water and sadly sometimes I think the water doesn’t boil. This purifaaya is going to make it easier for my children to access water, especially Jordan who comes back from school very thirsty. I am lucky to have a well in front of my house so it will be even easier.”
Rashida S;
” I spend almost all my time at the veggie stall which means I don’t have time to cook let alone boil water for drinking. This purifaaya is going to help keep my girls safe with clean drinking water and I will not worry about boiling water anymore.”
Semmy S;
“I am a teacher so most of my time is spent in class during the daytime so I have limited time when I go home. To make matters worse, I have two teenage boys who drink water like it’s the end of life. I usually boil water on the weekend and in two days the water is done. By the time water is boiled the second night some of that water is still hot so they have to wait for it to cool and it is hard to see them suffer so they always grab a cup or two from the unboiled water in the jerrycan. This has resulted in bad stomach pains sometimes so it’s such a relief that I never have to worry about it anymore.”
Bwaise:
On the second day, we went to Bwaise to meet another group of Mamas including; Jane N1, Dorah A, Hadijah N, Hamida N, Jane N2, Margaret N, Angel N, Justine N, Asia B, Pulakiseda N, and Amina A.
We started with the usual pieces of training on how to assemble and maintain the water purifaayas. The Mamas asked lots of questions which was a good thing and they were really happy to receive the purifaayas. This particular area is a very prominent swamp area within Kampala which means water here is highly contaminated throughout the year especially when it rains.
Jane N;
“ I have over seven kids at home with me most of the time and they drink so much water. I am lucky to sell water to the community but it is usually not safe for drinking. These many children mean that I also have to cook a lot of food and also boil so much water which is expensive to do because charcoal has become incredibly expensive. Now, I am going to simply have them fetch water and refill the purifaaya every evening before they go to bed. This will ensure that we have water throughout the day.”
Angel N;
“Every single day I live under the threat of my boys contaminating the water. I have a water pot that I bought a few months ago and we usually boil water and pour it in the pot to cool. Then every time one of them wants to drink water, I have to supervise because the African pot is an open pot so we usually place a plate to act as a lid and then put a cup on top of it to draw water. Sometimes the whole hand is submerged into the water and this contaminates the water. Now, this new system will allow me to focus on doing my chores and never worry about water again and it is easy to clean. Thank you very much.”
Amina A;
“I am getting old to carry water and then boil it for the children and myself too. This purifaaya is going to help me save my 1000/- shillings (about 33 cents Canadian) which I use most of the time to boil water to buy more food or even give my son for transport to school. My two kids require transport almost worth 10,000/- a day but I only give them half at least to make it to school on time and then walk back home. The idea is that by the time they get home food is ready so they can eat. Spending 1,000/- everyday to only boil water is a little much for me so having a pot that doesn’t require me to boil water is such a blessing.”
Kyengera:
On day three, we drove to Kyengera on the outskirt of Kampala to meet Maria A, Christine N, Sarah N, Annet N, Rehema N, Kyengera Preparatory School and New Hope Nursery School. All the 5 Mamas and two school representatives of these respective schools received water purifaayas of different sizes with the schools getting the 70 liters Purifaayas.
Sarah N;
“I live in a village literally and truthfully we have run out of firewood and we can’t buy charcoal there as it is expensive because if the regulations. I am lucky to harvest some water off my roof so having this purifaaya that can clean both tap and rain water, it is amazing. Webale nnyo.”
Maria A;
“Andrew, I have so many people at my home most of them teens so they eat and drink like animals let alone my pigs.. This purifaaya is going to help me ensure that there is always clean drinking water for all of them especially when they return. You know I spend a lot of time caring for my pigs so boiling water has been a lot of stress given that my partner has a bad back so he can’t do much and he can’t fetch water too. He also had an eye surgery so it will be a while before is he is up and running again.”
Annet N;
“I have a 5 litre jerrycan that I usually put my water for drinking but it has been months since I lost its top cover. This means that my water is not fully protected most of the times and these kids drink this jerrycan in just a day so I always have to boil water every time I cook. I can assure you it doesn’t hit boiling point because I use the remaining fire on the charcoal stove after cooking lunch and usually very little is left. I am glad I don’t have to worry anymore, Andrew. ‘Mwebale nnyo okuntaasa’ thank you for saving me.”
Erias, the Kyengera Preparatory school representative, said it is such a relief to have this purifaaya. Now all they need to do is to fetch water at the well as usual and they will have access to clean water. The school is only open now for candidates and this will help them have clean drinking water. They shall place it at the office block so all can access it.
Evelyn the headteacher of New Hope Nursery was very happy as she didn’t expect it even in the first place. I caught her off guard and luckily the kids had broken off for holidays and the school was under construction.
“We always boil water for our kids daily which is expensive for us especially with kids over 100 drinking from it. We usually pour it in the bucket to help in the cooling process so it’s not exactly safe. Then the cook will usually draw water using a cup and fill the cups then hand it to the kids. We are so lucky to have this water purifaaya and by next term, kids will have access to clean water. ‘Webale nnyo munange’ thank you my friend.”
Finally I have to make three more deliveries to our Mamas who I tried to reach out to like Annet C, who had a function to decorate and couldn’t attend, Anna M who unfortunately broke her leg recently and Prossy who stay overly far out of town. I will make private visits and I will have to teach them how to use them and keep them clean too.
Thank you for this wonderful gesture of love and kindness. All the Mamas where so grateful for your generosity and they sent you all numerous prayers and good wishes. The smile upon their faces told so much stories of relief and all of them were so glad that they don’t have to spend any much more to have access to clean water.
On behalf of the Mamas here, thank you very much for loving us and thinking of us in ways such as these. Most of them said one thing in common, “You have saved us from the endless expenses at the clinics with our kids falling sick all the time.” Thank you once again.
Report by;
Andrew Echel
Director of Programs, Uganda.
ISEE Solutions Society
A common expression in Uganda is mpola mpola which means slowly by slowly – these filters were planned for 6 months ago and now the mamas finally have them! I would like to add my personal thanks to everyone who contributed toward this project during our Christmas campaign in 2021. We raised just over $800 toward this project at that time. If you are still interested in contributing toward this project, each filter costs just over $50. Thank you all for your generous support. – Erika
