As we in the UK celebrate our
mothers this coming Mothering Sunday (March 30th), spare a thought
for the mothers of rural Uganda.
It’s a traditional society,
so many of the domestic duties are still expected to be carried out by the
womenfolk. One of these is keeping the home supplied with water - for cooking,
washing and, of course, drinking. For many households, this means a regular
long walk, by the mother or wife, to and from a borehole. This is often a walk
of several kilometres, returning with a heavy container full of water. It’s a
very time-consuming process too, taking up many hours of each week.
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| A new tank, connected to the guttering |
Many households in Kamuli district though now benefit
from water tanks supplied and constructed by UDS. We’ve been building these
tanks for a number of years now. They typically have a capacity of 2,000
litres, and collect fresh rainwater as it falls on the rooftops. One tank can
keep more than one family supplied for most of the year.
One of our beneficiaries, Mrs Jamawa Koowa, told us: “Previously
I could take one hour to collect 20 litres and yet per day my home requires 100
litres. This means I used to spend 5 hours day collecting water.” Now, she says:
“It can take me 25-30 days without going back to the borehole if it has not
rained again.”
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| A proud mother poses with her new tank |
Beatrice Kaguna, who has five children and her elderly
mother to look after, used to have to manage with just two 15-litre pots of
water per day – and that with a daily 90-minute trip to collect water from a
borehole two kilometres away. For five years now, thanks to her UDS water tank,
she has had enough water for her own needs and those of two neighbours.
Each tank costs £350 to build. Please help us build more
by texting WATU13 £5 to 70070.
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