Clean water means health, school, and safety for Rugiatu

Inaccessibility of clean and safe water sources is one of the problems faced by many rural communities. Twelve-year-old Rugiatu, her entire family and community in Bombali District, used to get water from a contaminated swamp. ‘’We have been drinking water from the swamp. But we had no choice, since there was no other means of getting clean water in my village,’’ said Rugiatu. 

The swamp dries off during the dry season, forcing them to find other sources of water. “Each time the swamp dried up in our village, we walked long distances to other communities. I remember walking for so long one day with a bucket of water on my head, and almost got hit by a motorbike,” Rugiatu recalls.

“The other time, I hit my toe on a rock. On another occasion, my feet ran into thorns on my way to the swamp. Worst of it all, my brother, John, was bitten by a snake one day when he followed us to the swamp to fetch water. We could have lost him but thank God he did not die.” She added.

In addition to the pains caused by walking long distances in search of water, Rugiatu, for the most part, was late for school each time she had to fetch water before going to school. “I was not getting enough sleep. My mom would wake me up very early in the morning to accompany her to fetch water from the swamp. I would first take my bath at the swamp before carrying water back home. By the time I would get dressed, I was already late for school.”

A Life-Changing Intervention

In 2019, ChildFund renovated a dilapidated water well in Rugiatu’s community. “The water well is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Carrying a heavy water container on my head was very painful. Sometimes, my head ached, and I felt pain down to my neck. But life is so much easier for us, now that we have clean water here in our village.’’

At a critical time  when the COVID-19 pandemic was killing people, frequent hand washing under running water for at least 20 seconds, was recommended by WHO. But this begs the question: does everyone have access to clean and safe water? “ChildFund gave us buckets to wash our hands. People came to talk to us about handwashing using clean water to fight coronavirus. But if it were not for this water well, how would we be washing our hands during this period?’’

The water well in Rugiatu’s village has, according to her, eased some stress and lifted the heavy burdens of going to a contaminated swamp each morning. “Now, I do not go through all that I went through when we did not have the water well. I take my time. The water well is closer to my house. I am no longer late for school,” Rugiatu said.