Lira, Uganda

Our field supervisor Patrick Alobo made RHI aware of the critical need for clean water access in the midst of three overlapping villages in central Lira, a district in Northern Uganda with a population of 250,000. The well had failed, and people had to walk for miles to get water, and wait in long lines, often sending children, forcing them to miss out on school attendance. A proposal was initiated and a generous donor stepped up to fund the project to provide continuity of clean water to over 15,000 men, women, and children, as well as their domestic farm animals and vegetables. The Arthur and Harriet Chagnon Water Project was completed on May 15, 2019 to the delight of the families of thousands. A 40 foot water tower and tank was constructed of concrete block supporting a 800 gallon tank. The well was hand dug by local water engineers who placed an electric and manual pump in the same shaft. The electric pump is powered by an gas generator which will be replaced with a solar cell when funds become available. The manual pump allows residents to fill their cans while others wait in line for the two fill stations under the tower. Having three fill stations keeps the wait times to a minimum allowing children to remain in school. Large farm animals can also be watered by filling small ponds next to the tower. Our school also is enjoying water supply from the water tank providing head pressure from the elevated tank. We are so thankful for the partnership of our donors, Morning Star Ministries, and RHI leadership to make this project come together so quickly. From start to finish the entire project came together in less than 45 days from funding to completion and 100% of the donation went to the project with 0% overhead for administration.