Making Water Flow
Dan Wolf, Founder and CEOLast year, Lifeline completed construction of a piped water system in Teboke — a community of about 1,100 people located in Apac District, Northern Uganda.
The images below speak for themselves. A community whose residents had to spend inordinate amounts of time walking to, and pumping water from, a distant mechanical borehole now has a sophisticated solar-powered system that feeds over 4 kilometers of piping, a dozen communal taps and, in several cases, faucets inside individual homes. This has had life changing impact.
Take, for example, the case of Omara Syrus. He told me that prior to the installation of the new system, it would take him and his family about 2 hours to retrieve water from the closest borehole — a chore that they would often perform three times a day. Now, however, what took 6 hours takes just one. As Omar happily relayed to me, " I just twist on the tap and water starts flowing. No pumping and I only have to walk half a kilometer!” With so much time freed up, Omar is able to spend more time tending his garden and working as a house helper. He estimates that his income has increased by about 30%.
Likewise, another resident, Ronald Eleng, told me that ready access to the nearby tap stand has enabled him to expand his brick-making business — resulting in a four-fold increase in earnings during the last dry season from 200,000 shillings to 800,000. With that income, Ronald has launched a small poultry farm.
These are just two stories from residents who I randomly met during my visit. The new piped water system has been a game changer for hundreds, whose lives have become healthier and more prosperous. And, with the generous help of our partner, charity: water, and our other supporters, we look forward to helping bring this kind of transformative change to many other communities across Northern Uganda.
