First Week Progress

This report is from our beloved Francis who is on the ground making all of this happen for us:

Day 1 (Tuesday Night);

This involved the collection of filtering sand from lake victoria which would be used to secure the the drilled borehole flash points. These were transported from Entebbe to Kayabwe using the blue truck on tuesday night and arrived in Kayabwe Wednesday morning. Included in this trip was the transportation of the drilling team and the equipment and all the necessary site material so that when work commences; unless otherwise badly needed, we had all the items on site like the pipes.

Day 2 (Wednesday);

The drilling team had to be settled into their lodging quarters and ammenities such as food supplies, pre-inspection of the sites to finally check especially the firmness of the trucks pathways and also clearing the drive way. Any slight mistake in as regards the firmness of the pathways would spell disaster; The trucks could tip over, get stuck or the drilling equipment get broken while on unplanned transit. So all these had to be taken into account. Part of the drill team had to ascertain this integral part of safety.

I had to get a cook for the drilling team from the community. This not only helps the team to feel a part of the community they have gone into but also for the community to feel that they are a part of what is happening on the ground. It is more like a bonding thing!

It is rainy season here and the trucks had to be fitted with traction tyres so as to be able to move from the paved roads conditions to the more difficult inner village slippery terrain.The process of changing the tyres and fitting literally took the whole day.

There was the cleaning of the Water drilling rig, The compressor Machine and the servicing of the drilling equipment to make sure that there is smooth uninterupted work once on site.

There was a heavy downpour which would have hampered the truck movement and even the drilling process. It is never a good idea to drill while there is rain because of collapsing drilled walls into the well.

Day 3 (Thursday);

There was full sunshine and no overcast skies and definitely no rain. We departed for the first site at 9am, and set up the equipment at site 1 - which I will call Kirabo 1 site. This is the site near the kitokolo Primary School and Godlive. The actual drilling, began at about 1.00pm local time and by about 4pm we had hit the jackpot and there was water gushing even as the drill team continued to the required depth. There is still more work to be done in Site 1. So first thing tomorrow morning we are going there to tie up the loose ends. God-willing, we will start drilling in either site 2 or 3, depending on the weather patterns. Both remaining wells offer very challenging terrains especially with the heavy trucks and mud on the paths. But as long as there is sunshine, all should go well.

Was able to mobilise the community in Bugeye to clear the passage to Kirabo 2.

The community came out to watch their well being built.  They fed the workers as well.  

The water board

They hit water!

Drilling has begun!

The drilling started today on the first well.  They should be done drilling all three wells in the next two weeks!  It is so exciting to have come this far.  We are so grateful to all those who have donated to help our cause!

Woman in purple is Sophia who is the council woman for the well #1 and is helping to oversee the drilling

Our engineers have communicated to the three water boards (the committee made up of local villagers to help oversee use/maintenance/upkeep of their well) that as the two heavy trucks come to each drilling site, they will ruin some of the land owners' crops.  The good news is most of the land owners are on the water board committees so they understand.  We have reached a settlement from our donations to help them recover this loss.

The constitutions for each well will be completed by the end of the week.  (See last post for pictures of their meetings and constitutions.)  Training is continuing by the teenagers to teach the importance of good hygiene and proper maintenance of the well.  Our trusted friend, Francis, is transporting the workers and smoothing relations among the villages and overseeing timelines.  He will also make a monthly trip to visit each of the wells (a three hr drive each way for him) to ensure the upkeep of the well.  All too often because of no water boards and thus no accountability, the wells break and the villagers are right back where they started.  We are hoping education of the villagers and accountability of the boards will ensure proper usage and a long life for each well!

Drilling should be done in two weeks!  Stay tuned and check back for updates!

We are still $2,000 short for the third well and are also hoping to have $2,000 in an account for ongoing maintenance costs.  Spread the word, pass the blog around, send our website for donations!  We are almost there!!!

Website: (cut and paste link in a new window, the hyperlink isn't working.) 
http://www.globalvillageconnect.org/kirabos-well.html

Thanks!
Rebecca and James

3 Wells to be completed!

Great news!  We are only $2,000 short of building our 3rd well!  This has been the most incredible journey to reconnect with friends and share in this project together.  Everyone has been so generous in their donations, doing what they can, to help this community in Uganda.  

We are building a well in Godlive's yard, across from the school which will help all those families of school children.  Instead of walking 1 1/2 miles to and from home before school to collect water for their families, they can bring the water home after school for their families.  The children will also be able to drink clean water during school, which they had difficulty doing previously.  Godlive took Kirabo in when she had nothing, in order to help him live.

Our second well is going to Anuscianta's village.  She heard about Kirabo's situation when he was barely surviving and, going against family wishes and risking retribution, she snuck him milk and eventually rescued him.  Her village also has to walk 1 1/2-2 miles each way for water.

Our third well is going to Mattia's village.  He was the head of the Good Samaritan's who took Kirabo when Anuscianta rescued him.  He found Godlive to take Kirabo in and helped collect resources from the village to feed him.  He baptized him and helped him have his last rights read in case he didn't make it.  Mattia has been instrumental in getting the first well going and forming a water board in that community, with no benefit to himself.  He took days off work to see this project happen.  At the end, he humbly mentioned how his village was in dire straits with no access to water as well.  We heard his request and you responded!  

We need $2,000 more to bring Mattia the well for his village. We need an additional $2,000 to keep in an account for general upkeep for all 3 wells.  We have a wonderful friend who will check on all 3 wells once a month to make sure all wells are fully functioning and being maintained properly to ensure these wells continue to bring water and life to these people.

Water boards in each community are being formed so the people have ownership over their wells.  Teenagers have formed their own committee to train others about hygiene and well maintenance and why it is important.  Children are also being trained and are passing on the training.

This is happening!  Ground is breaking any day and we will post pictures as soon as that happens.

Thanks so much!  If you can donate anything more to help us get the third well dug, here is the link:

http://www.globalvillageconnect.org/kirabos-well.html

Kirabo's Well Kickoff

Two weeks ago we sent the an email to all of our family and friends about our fundraising efforts to build a well in the village(s) that helped Kirabo when he had no one else.  Here is the link to our website where you can donate to the well, and watch the youtube video about his life and the people who helped him and about their incredible need for fresh water.

Website-

Kirabo's Well

				Kirabo's Well We adopted our son, Kirabo, from Uganda when he was 3 years old. Just 9 months after he was born, his birth mother passed away, leaving him alone and in dire strait...
				View on www.globalvillagecon...	Preview by Yahoo

THE UPDATE:
Two days after we sent the email, we met our goal of $20,000 to build Kirabo's well.  Blown away.  Our friends and family responded with generosity and immediacy.  One of the things that touched us so much was donations from people we hadn't spoken to in years - the people that we thought of fondly but had mostly fallen out of touch with.  They reminded us why we loved them in the first place and to be better at keeping in touch.  We are so grateful.  Kirabo asks almost every day how the well is going for his village.  He drinks water and then says, "I hope those people in Uganda get water soon.  When can we see them?"  "Good news," we say, "Our friends are helping us give them a well and we are going to go see it this Christmas."

The well site has been secured in the village of Kayabwe.  It is located on the property of Godlive's home.  She is the woman who took Kirabo in when she had nothing to give.  She gave the widow's mite.  Her home is across the road from the school, so the children can fill their jerrycans with water and carry them home.

Here's more exciting news:  We are only $5,000 away from funding a second well!  There are two other villages in the community we are hoping to help.  The second well will help Anuscianta's village.  She was the woman who found Kirabo lying in the bush and snuck milk to him when she could.  She eventually got the leader of The Good Samaritans, Mattia, involved and he came to rescue Kirabo and placed him with Godlive.

The third well, if we are able to raise enough, will go to Mattia's village.  He is the head of the Good Samaritans who rescued Kirabo and found a home for him for a while.  He has been instrumental in helping us put together a water board for the first well.  He has also followed the engineers around Kayabwe and helped them know where to go and to keep them from getting attacked since they are strangers in a different village.  He has done all this even though he and his family will not benefit from our first well and are desperate for fresh water themselves.

These three villages are in the same general community but are far enough away from each other they each need their own well.  They all still travel at least 1.5 miles each way carrying 5 gallon jerrycans of water.

THE URGENCY:
The cost per well decreases significantly if we can build these wells at the same time because the equipment will already be there.  If you are planning on donating or spreading the word, now is the time!  The need is so great and there is no source of clean water for miles and miles so all three villages are in desperate need.  These villages have all heard about you and are so excited.  They send their immense gratitude for your generosity.

THE VISIT:
Our non-profit board members just returned home from visiting Kayabwe, Uganda to lay the ground work for the well.  This is what they found:

kids collecting water from a dirty swamp for their families

Imagine your 6 year old child carrying 5 gallons of water for 2 miles before school.  Now imagine it is your kid's responsibility to provide the days water for your family.   Children aged 6 and up wake up at 6:00 am and typically walk 2-4 kilometers (up to 2 miles) each day to fetch water for an average sized family of 9, who may use up to 20-25 liters (up to 5 and a half gallons) of water per day.  They then walk about 1 mile to school.

(Last week I spoke to a local girl scout troop of 8 year olds and had them each carry a jerrycan full of 2.5 gallons of water 20 feet.  They could barely make their way 20 feet!)

The children from this village sometimes fetch water from the swamp that connects to Lake Victoria instead of making the longer trek to the well.  Picture your child drinking swamp water that should be boiled before drinking, but they just walked a few miles in the heat and they are thirsty so boiling the water may not happen.  This exposes them to bilharzia (an infection by parasites), cholera, typhoid and dystentery.

Imagine that in the process of collecting water for the family your first grader might also drown.  There have been 3 recent drownings while kids fetch water because of drop-offs left by excavations for sand by foreign corporations.

You can imagine how very excited everyone is about having a well in their community!

THE BOARD:
It is common for well meaning foundations or groups to put in a well, or bore hole, and then leave that community.  No one in the village has been trained in how to use the well, why it is important and how to maintain it.  No one has ownership for it.  The well breaks and loses the capacity to pump water and all that time, effort and good intention has been wasted.

In order to counteract that, we have put together a water board in the village.  They each have a title and a specific responsibility in relation to the well.  The board members will receive training on how to maintain the well and each family in the village will pay the equivalent of 10 cents a month for rights to use the well.  This is an amount the board feels families can come up without preventing anyone from getting fresh water, but is enough that it will help everyone feel they have a vested interest in maintaining the well.  Teenagers in the area have received training on why good hygiene is important and they are training the families.  Our trusted friend Francis, who was our driver and translater while we were in Uganda for 6 weeks, will be on our payroll to check in once a month and oversee the proper care of the well as well.  We hope these precautions will ensure the success of your donations to help this well change the lives of these people.

The Water Board

Working on their bylaws

More details to follow, check back soon!

With much love and gratitude,
Rebecca and James