Sustainable Clean Water Project
Support to reach more girls and boys with basic water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, especially those children who are cut off from safe water because they are living in Kibagare slum
Part of ensuring our students’ success is not only providing education and access to technology but increasing their access to daily necessities that they often do not have at home - like clothing, electricity, sanitation, and clean water.
Nearly 1,000 children below the age of 5 pass away every day from illness caused by contaminated water and poor sanitation - and unfortunately, these deaths are prevalent in informal settlements like Kibagare.
St Martins school Kibagare had issues with its water, this was out of the fact that the well in the school was built 15 years ago and was no longer functioning well enough to meet the water needs of the school that has 1000 students and 100 staff.
In 2018, we thought we could resolve the water problem through our networks and friends of St Martins School. In the same year, our volunteers during our annual visit did tests on the water being used in the school at several spots. They realized that the water on site had substantial amounts of bacteria. This in itself was proof that the water was contaminated and more needed to be done to resolve both problems as this had huge ramifications on the students and staff population in the school.
Thanks to a generous donation from Suzanne DiBianca and Salesforce, we were able to drill a new borehole in 2018. This was a step to ensure that the school had a reliable water source. In 2019 the cost-effectiveness, reliability, and sustainability of the well were enhanced through the Solarization of the Borehole. With the use of Solar to Pump the water, the school has been able to cut down on the energy costs of running the well by more than 90% and also guarantee the availability of water every day. Had it been any different, in this case, use of the electricity, it would have been impossible to run the well efficiently.
The borehole pumps 9000 litres per hour, this is stored in the school water tank that has a capacity to hold 100,000 litres of water. The water is pumped, disinfected, and stored for use in the school. With this, the school is able to provide and guarantee clean and reliable water to the student and staff population in the school. Unlike before, the school has not had a lack of water problems unless there is a drought which is very rare.
With COVID-19 and the need to maintain hygiene, the well has and still is very important in ensuring that the school is able to provide clean water for the students and staff. This in return helps prevent the spread of communicable and waterborne diseases that are common in settlements like Kibagare where the school is located.
