Field Notes

Thanks to you, this village now has access to clean and safe drinking water. They've also been trained by our local partners on safe hygiene practices and basic maintenance of their water project. Each family using the new water source contributed toward their project's construction -- a small fee, but one that helps instill a sense of personal ownership for the project. Each family will continue to pay a small amount to use the water; the community will save this money for any necessary maintenance and repairs.

The people here, especially women and children, used to walk up to two hours to collect water for their families. Even then, each family member had to make do with just five liters of water per day for drinking, bathing, cooking and everything else. The water wasn't safe to drink and often made people sick. Thanks to your help, people here are walking significantly less every day to collect water. This means each family now can use up to 15 liters per person per day! Most importantly, the water they bring home each day is safe enough to drink.

Note: We wanted to show you that this community is serious about keeping their project safe, clean and functioning for years to come. They built a fence on their own initiative, to prevent animals from contaminating the area and to show ownership of their new water source.