Bring Clean Water to 15 Villages in Rural Gambia

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you all well. I'm writing to let you know that due to a supply chain constraint out of our control, we are still waiting for the Bluepumps to be delivered from the Netherlands to Gambia--the handpump installation trip that we had planned for last month unfortunately did not take place as anticipated. Rest assured, we hope to get this resolved as soon as possible, and tentatively aim to reschedule these activities for early 2017. 

In the meantime, in our effort to expand our footprint, we have worked with Water Charity to put together another project to deliver clean water to Villa Estacion, a small impoverished community in Northeast Colombia. Lacking a piped water system, the village currently draws its water from a series of surface ponds that collect rainwater. With no way to filter or disinfect their water, community members drink the murky water directly, a practice that leaves them extremely vulnerable to diarrhea, dysentery, and other serious waterborne diseases.

Next month, we will travel to Villa Estacion to distribute Sawyer water filters and train locals how to install, use, and maintain them. Each filter has the ability to remove impurities as small as 0.1 micron, and can effectively filter out bacteria that causes typhoid, E. coli, dysentery, cholera, and other serious water-related illnesses. The filters are extremely long-lasting, and we expect each to serve 10+years.

In addition, we will also distribute solar flashlights, hygienic water containers, and bednets. This integrated intervention will reach up to 500+ people and empower them to live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. A map of our project location in Colombia can be seen HERE.

Many thanks for your continued support,

Jeremy Mak

Dear Friends,

We are in the midst of the planning process for our upcoming trip to Gambia in a few months' time. We’re EXCITED--With your support, we've raised funds to install Bluepumps in up to 4 additional villages. We have populated a shortlist of recipient communities, and look forward to bringing durable clean water solutions to the neediest. In addition, with supplementary donor funding, we aim to implement several pilot projects, including distributing solar lights, mosquito nets, and medicines.

While preparing for Gambia, we also had the unique opportunity to distribute water filters to 2 children's homes and 40 households in Kampala Uganda, providing 389 people with clean water. Although Kampala has a functioning piped water system, the water is not fit for immediate consumption. It must be first boiled. If it isn’t, the health consequences can be dire.  Through the years, Uganda’s capital city, as well as districts up-country, have been suffering recurrent outbreaks of waterborne diseases like, cholera, typhoid, and dysentery, which have sickened tens of thousands and claimed numerous lives.

While boiling water is seen as a necessity for cooking and drinking, it is costly. Many Ugandan homes use charcoal or wood stoves to boil water. (Gas and electricity are also used, but to a lesser degree). The daily task of boiling water is not only an economic burden (especially for households who earn only a few dollars a day), but it also contributes heavily to deforestation, hugely contributing to demand on imported charcoal and wood from rural areas outside Kampala. Boiling also means prolonged exposure to indoor air pollution and respiratory diseases from the burning fumes and smoke created by dirty cook stoves. 

We provided filters for Chances for Children (C4C), a home for orphans and street children, is located in Wakiso, a neighborhood outside of Kampala. Run by Martin Male, a former street child himself, C4C provides clothing, food, housing, and healthcare for 61 children, as well as outreach services to surrounding communities.

You can see a tour of the orphanage HERE. The home uses either rainwater or piped water, but must boil their water first (although I did see children drinking directly from the tap when I was there). The orphanage spends about $50 on charcoal every month, and about half of this is estimated to go towards boiling water. We showed caretakers how to install and use the filters, demonstrating how well the filter could clean dirty water. It is expected that by utilizing the filters, the orphanage will free up more funds for other necessities to provide for the children.

Teresa Home in Kabowa received 2 filters for its counseling center and 3 filters for its home for 20 young children.   As part of this project, Teresa Home also received a water dispenser unit so that filtered water could be more easily collected, protected, and distributed. A testimonial on the impact of the filters from Jeniffer, the Teresa Home caretaker, can be seen HERE.

In addition, a total of 40 households also received filters (including eight given to the caretakers at C4C and Teresa Home to take to their homes). A representative from each family was taken through a step-by-step participatory demo on how to install, use, maintain, and clean their filters. They were also each tested in hole drilling (to install the filter on the bucket), assembling the filter, and backwashing the system.  All recipients received a complete filter kit which includes instructions, a backwashing syringe, a filter and hose attachment, and a drill bit to cut a hole into a new bucket if needed. While Water Charity provided the filters to beneficiaries, to incorporate strong community buy-in, all buckets were purchased by recipients.

This is one example of how we work to provide clean water to communities in need globally, and look to expand our reach in the coming years. Thanks again.

Best wishes,

PS: Water Charity provided the funds to implement the abovementioned filter distribution activities in Uganda through its Filters for Life Program. No Global Giving funds raised went towards that effort. 

Secondly, we have just realized due to a technical glitch, in our February report, some of the pictures included were of Sare Bakary village in Gambia instead of Sare Sambel.