Safe Water System - Kayanja, Uganda

Roberta Herr Memorial Water System - Kayanja, UgandaWe have decided to adopt a Safe Water Project in Kayanja, Uganda, in loving memory of Roberta.  The system is installed by Water Missions International, a Christian  engineering organization serving the water and sanitation needs of people in developing countries and disaster areas.

Our daughter, Christiana, and her husband, Marten, work for Water Missions International.  Roberta gave her fullest blessing to Christiana and Marten when they decided to move to Uganda to work with Water Missions, and we thought this project would be an appropriate way to honor her by meeting the needs of many very poor people.

In January, 2011, work was begun on establishing a safe water system for Kayanja, I, Uganda. This is a very remote fishing village on the shores of Lake Victoria. There are about 2,000 people living in the village, of which around 1,000 are children.  This village has a particularly great need for a safe water project because it does not have a reliable improved water source. It does have a spring, but the spring water is not safe to drink and there is not enough of it. Women and children have to get up before sunrise and stand in line for hours to fetch water from the spring.  Because of the long lines at the spring, people also fetch water from the lake.  People living in Kayanja suffer greatly from waterborne diseases.

We are install a Living Water Treatment System to provide Kayanja with safe water. Our plan is to solar power to pump water from the lake. The water will be filtered and chlorinated so that it is safe to drink. The water will be stored in a large tank and taps will be intalled throughout the community, so that people have easy access to safe water.  The system costs approximately $28,000 and requires many volunteer hours of labor.  We are very grateful for the generous gifts of family and friends that have made this project possible.

We will provide updates as work proceeds.  While in Uganda I collected some photos of similar Water Missions Projects to help explain the water system.