Water Blogged

Cornerstone Nursery & Primary School is a private boarding and day school in Mpigi, Uganda, serving nursery and primary students. While the school did have an existing rainwater collection system, it did not hold nearly enough water for the students and staff at this large school.

Before:
Students fetched water twice daily, taking 24 minutes of their valuable class time on each trip. There were no functional hand washing facilities at the school, meaning students were more prone to illness and long-term health effects. Through the provision of a rainwater collection system, hand washing stations, and water filters, the students at Cornerstone School will no longer have to risk their lives fetching unsafe water from sources and will be able to maintain a healthier lifestyle with the supplement of hygiene training and hand washing stations.

After:
Our implementing partner, Ugandan Water Project, erected a 10,000-liter polyethylene tank on a base made of brick, hardcore, 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 could attach the gutters that will 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 wall around the tank and first flush, as well as a tap stand located slightly downhill from the tank. The rainwater collection system will be paired with four Sawyer Point One water filters in order to ensure that all water collection from the tank will be safe for drinking.

Check out your impact!
– You brought clean water to a school with 27 staff, serving 613 students at the time of project installation
– Previously, students and staff fetched from ⁠an unreliable piped supply
– By bringing a rainwater collection system to facility grounds, we estimate that you eliminated up to 3.87 miles of walking and 10.00 hours of collection time per day!

Note: Time and distance calculations are based on the average number of 20 liter jerrycans that UWP rainwater collection systems can provide each day. We assume that every jerrycan fetched from the UWP rainwater collection system replaces one trip to the previous water source. Distance from the facility to the previous water source is calculated for a round trip as the crow flies, using GPS coordinates.

Thanks to the following for supporting this project!
– Ishikawa Elementary School, AZ
– Sissonville High School International Club, WV