Days 3, 4 & 5 brought opportunities to work.

When our first team served here in Kampala in 2013, we took a walk with some of the girls from the children’s home to fetch the water that was needed for cooking, cleaning, and odds and ends around the children’s home. They took us where the local community goes to collect their water—an access pipe from a natural spring. It was a sobering moment for all of us.

 

But last year Micah decided it was time that someone did something about it.

“663 million people in the world lack access to clean water. That is 1 person without safe water out of every 10 people with it” (dropinthebucket.org).

“In Africa, more than a quarter of the population spends more than 30 minutes, sometimes up to 6 hours, walking 3.75 miles just to collect enough water for the day. Women and children are mostly responsible for fetching water and caring for the sick (who primarily fall ill due to unclean water). This means that women and children have less time to spend on productive activities, such as going to school or working on a business venture” (dropinthebucket.org).

Micah’s fundraising set into motion a brand new well on the church’s property, a water reservoir which will be connected to the well, and a major overhaul of the community’s access point to the natural spring. There is currently a lot of run off into the access point that contaminates the spring water.

Our team has hauled bricks and rocks (some larger than others), cut brush (yay for machetes), painted a water tower, and dug a 6x6x3 foot hole–twice.

The ladies also found out more about the long process of providing a meal for loved ones. We now know what to look for in a good bean and the process to make that bean as tasty as possible.

The conveniences of the states begins to sound appealing as you think through a woman’s day here or consider the backbreaking work the men do with lack of machinery, but everything is done with intentionality and care. I’m not sure I can say the same about my daily life in America.

What an honor it is to work alongside men and women with such strong work ethics. Our backs are tired and our hearts are full.