On the ninth day of November 2022, residents of Bibo village, Buyiga Island in Mpigi District, could not contain their joy at witnessing the first drop of water flow out of the recently launched borehole constructed with the kind assistance of Just Peoples. The atmosphere was filled with tears of joy, ululations, and praises. Residents had long lobbied for and been promised a water source in their area by a variety of people and organizations, but nothing had materialized. For them, this was a fulfillment of a dream. One resident said,
“…when we saw you here for the first time, we did not take you seriously. We thought your promise to construct a water source for us was just an addition to a multiplicity of other promises that have been made to us without any being fulfilled. Right now I can’t believe that I am witnessing this, it is a dream come true. Thank you Just Peoples for this generous support. Our role now is to ensure protection of this water source so that it will be able to serve the current generation and all the generations to come. Thank you, Just Peoples,….”
Similar sentiments, joy and appreciation were echoed by the area Local Council Chairperson – Mr. Paul Waiswa who was tasked with launching the water source. To him, the construction of the borehole had answered the cries of the people of Bibo village. According to the chairman, the water source – expected to serve 420 households, will not only solve the water crisis in the area, but also will reduce a myriad of issues such as domestic violence, child sacrifice, girl child sexual exploitation and water borne disease incidences. In the words of the Chairperson
;“…..the burden of ensuring that there is enough water in a household rest on women and children. The moment a man asks for water and nothing is provided, his next course of action is to assault the woman and her children, asking them what their role in the household is. The only source of water we had in this village was a pond we had dug in the swamp, which is quite distant from where most of our people reside. With the flooding of the swamp, it became difficult to separate the water from the well we had dug from the murky one of the swamp. We had to penetrate further inside the swamp in the attempt to get some clean water. This further increased the distance that residents have to trek to find water, a burden that women and children are finding hard to shoulder…”
The area Woman Leader – Mrs. Malicerina Nassali also expressed her joy towards the water source, and in her own words,
“…the water problem has forced many children here out of school. They have to wake up early morning to trek to the swamp for water and again have to go there in the evening after school. Girls have been put in harm’s way as they fall prey to unscrupulous men who force them into sexual encounters and this has seen them getting pregnant at early years, and hence couldn’t continue with school. No amount of words can be used here to express our gratitude and appreciation to Just Peoples for this borehole, all we can do is to pray to the almighty God to bless all the fruits of your hands and appeal for more support because our area is still in dire need of more water sources. We also thank Saint Ann Foundation for sourcing for our area a friend on whom we can lean for water and solutions to other problems that are hindering development of our community.”
Mr. Charles Serwadda who volunteered the piece of land where the borehole was constructed also could not hide his joy at the sight of the first drop of water being pumped out of the ground. In his own words,
“….in that meeting when you were looking for where to put this borehole, I could not let the opportunity slip through my hands. This borehole is a blessing to our village and it will save us from consuming water with animals…”(sic)
Mr. Serwadda beamed as he handed a bunch of matooke and a cock to Mr. Abel Ssekayombya as a sign of appreciating Saint Ann Foundation for connecting the village to Just Peoples who provided all the funds for the construction of the borehole
. According to Mr. Serwadda, prior to the construction of the borehole, residents were getting water from the same spot where herders feed their animals. To ensure that the borehole outlives the current generation, Mr. Serwadda, who was also elected the Chairperson of the committee to supervise proper utilization of the borehole emphasized hygiene around the water source and appealed to the residents to jealously guard it because it was for their own benefit. He revealed that a fund had been established, where each household will contribute 14 USD Cents per month, money that will be used to service the borehole whenever it broke down. He informed the gathering that the charge is also to instil a sense of ownership in the locals and to encourage them use/handle the borehole responsibly
. Mr. Onzosi Robert who was appointed as the Treasurer of the committee to supervise responsible utilization of the borehole also reechoed the sentiments of other speakers, revealing that the borehole is a dream that had eluded the area for decades. He revealed that, as leaders, they had made several requests to numerous agencies and the government to have clean water availed to their village but nothing had been forthcoming and the residents had lost hope of ever seeing clean water pumped in their village. According to him, residents were lucky to have Saint Ann Foundation on the ground which has enabled the organization to appreciate the long suffering of the masses. He further thanked Just Peoples for the generous support towards the construction of the borehole and appealed for more water sources to be constructed in order to improve clean water provision in the area that has over 420 households
.From this point, it was tears of joy, celebrations, singing and dancing that followed each drop of water pumped by the children, after the borehole had officially been opened by the area Local Council Chairperson.