In Wakiso, Uganda, access to clean water is scarce. Furthermore, the responsibility of water collection falls primarily to the women and children in the community. They source their water from nearby Jokolera Spring, which unfortunately becomes contaminated during the rainy season from interference by animals and with human faeces from nearby in-ground toilet holes. Diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera are common due to the lack of sanitation caused by this predicament.
The next closest water source is a borehole located 10 km away, and the journey to reach it is treacherous and dangerous. When a woman and 7-year-old girl drowned earlier this year attempting to fetch water, a plan was devised to end these struggles. The solution? A deep water well to be dug at the Jokolera Spring source, protected by a wall so that the water is covered, removing the vulnerability of contamination.
On this World Water Day, we ask for the support of The White Feather Foundation community to make this construction project a reality.
Our Partners in Uganda
In 2015, local citizens in Wakiso discovered that women and girls were disproportionately impacted by human rights violations, poverty and poor healthcare in their country. What resulted was the formation of the Women Arises Association, a non-profit, autonomous, non-government organisation. They soon developed a grassroots team dedicated to fight for women’s rights, economic emancipation and dignity in their community.
Their goals are reflected in their official Mission, which reads “To empower women through capacity building, research, advocacy and service provision to achieve social justice, economic stability, and management of their environment, to transform their livelihood in a sustainable environment.”
The Women Arises Association reached out to our team last fall with their proposal to build a deep water well at the site of Jokolera Spring. The plan: to create a covered, sustainable structure that protects the natural water source, and is easy to maintain with proper training and maintenance from the local community.
We felt like the goal of clean water combined with the principles of female empowerment aligned perfectly with the values of our Foundation. We sent word earlier this month about our decision to campaign for this cause and received this response from Women Arises Association Chairperson, Natukunda Norah Nakate:
“Everyone in the world deserves to have clean water without consuming contaminated water which animals drink from too. No one needs to lose their lives collecting water as we are all human beings and we love our lives. Preserving Jokolera water spring by constructing it into a well will help over 3500 women and children have a right to clean water thus saving their lives too. Your gift will enhance the lives of not only this generation, but many generations to come. We are really so grateful to solve this challenge. Thank you.”
How to Help
Our campaign to raise the total $5000 needed for this project begins today and concludes on June 10th. This is to provide enough time to initiate the 6-month project during a favourable weather season in Uganda. We welcome your support in any way that you can help:
- Make a one-time donation to the campaign here.
- Become a member of our monthly donor program, The Ripple, which allocates funds directly to Clean Water projects. All contributions from The Ripple through June 10th will be put toward this campaign.
- Spread the word. Share this post and/or our periodic social media posts on Instagram, Facebook and X throughout the campaign.
We thank you in advance for your help in making this life-saving project a reality.
“Slow but Sure,” 2014 © Julian Lennon. To view his entire Kisumu-Kenya collection, visit julianlennonphotography.com.
