Water Blogged

Thank you for bringing safe water to ⁠St. Matthew Kiwangala Central Primary School in Uganda!

BEFORE:
For the students and staff at St. Matthew Kiwangala Central Primary School, collecting adequate water for each day’s needs is an arduous process. Without a water source of its own, the school is forced to send young children and teachers to a shallow well in the area that is also used by 700 individuals from the community. Because of the large number of people using the well, wait times are long- students and staff stand in line for an hour or more on average before they can access the water themselves. Combined with the fact that the walk to this well also requires students to cross a main road, it is critical that the St. Matthew Kiwangala Central Primary School is equipped with a rainwater collection system of its own so that its students and teacher have reliable and quick access to clean, safe drinking water.

PROJECT:
Our implementing partner, Ugandan Water Project, erected a 10,000 liter polyethylene tank on a base made of brick, hard core and cement. Once cured, the crew placed the tank on the base, made an overflow hole in the top of the structure and attached a pipe to it that extends six inches beyond the perimeter of the base. Crew members also attached face boards to the roof of the building adjacent to the tank in order to create a suitable surface to which they attached the gutters that allow water to flow from the metal roof to the tank. Just before the outlet pipe reaches the tank, a “T” joint was inserted to create a first flush, a rudimentary filtration system that reduces the amount of debris and contaminants that enter the tank. The crew then constructed a protective barrier around the tank and first flush, as well as a tap stand located slightly downhill of the tank. The rainwater collection system is paired with Sawyer Point One water filters in order to ensure that all water collection from the tank is safe for drinking.

Check out your impact!
You brought clean water to 500 people
You eliminated 17.07 miles of walking per day
You reduced collection time by ⁠37.50 hours per day
You replaced a Protected dug well with a Rainwater Catchment System

Notes:
Calculations are based the on number of 20 liter jerrycans used each day at this facility: 25 jerrycans
One jerrycan per trip to original water source
Distance is calculated for a round trip, using GPS, as the crow flies

Special thank you to:
Hamilton K-8 School, CA
St. Barnabas School WELLness Project, OH
The BRAVE Institute, NY
Our implementing partner: Ugandan Water Project