Building a Well in UGANDA to provide clean water and sanitation

In early 2023 our club member Richard Nayan visited Kampala, Uganda with Zahid Sheikh from TEAMS charity Leicester. The trip consisted of a visit to Jinja to explore what could be done to improve the facilities at a local school. Richard immediately realised there was a massive rich and poor divide in the country, where most live below £2.50 a day and suffer from extreme poverty and have limited access to fresh clean drinking water.

Visiting Jinja District Council

Whilst travelling around Uganda, it was great to hear words from local businesses and individuals alike, that they had heard of Rotary International. And that Rotary has a good strong presence in Uganda, based on the exceptional charitable work conducted.

He visited the Jinja council and seeing the Rotary logo represented outside the council buildings of recognition towards the work in the local area and with the council was immensely pleasing. “It was a very proud moment knowing I was affiliated with an organisation that does such good in the world and community. It fuelled my passion to get more involved and ask what more I could do to help”.

Visit To Magwa Primary, Jinja

Magwa Primary is a stone’s throw from the main road in Jinja. Richard had the pleasure of not only viewing the school, but he spoke to some of the students and staff.

He was struck by the major differences including outdoor food preparation and cooking and outdoor dining, yet the conditions in which the cooking took place would have far from met the UK health and safety requirements.

He observed that there was a lack of running water at the school, including extremely poor sanitation and hygiene conditions for the girls who attended the school. He also met children to were carrying up to 20 litres of water sometimes twice a day from a water Well close to the school.

Meeting with Rotary Jinja

While in Jinja he meet fellow Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Jinja (Source of the Nile) and had general open discussions about life in the UK vs life in Uganda.

Following Richards return to the UK he gave a presentation to the members of the Impact group, where it was agreed we would provide funds to build a water Well. The Well would provide clean drinking water and sanitation for food preparation. On the 14th of May members and friends of Rotary walked from the entrance of Bradgate Park up to Old John and down to the Bradgate ruins carrying the equivalent of 20 litres of water in bucks.