In March 2019, while visiting rural communities in Uganda for The Waterbearers distribution and training program we met a young man, Pastor Modi Emmanuel Victor from Wampologoma Village who shared his story.  As we walked along the banks of the River Nile, he explained what happened to him a year ago.

He was visiting the village where he grew up, and after working in the field for 8 hours was hit by sunstroke, which is a severe heat illness that results in the body temperature rising over 100°F causing confusion.  It was very hot and the sun was beating down on him. He had no shade, not even a hat. He drank water, but not all water is safe to drink. Even after collecting water from a well it needs to be boiled. “Sometimes they don’t have time to boil the water or filter it. It takes a lot of firewood to boil water for the entire family and it costs a lot of money for charcoal. In Africa, you leave the water outside in order for it to somehow get cold after you boil it. Then you feel like – ah the water is OK,” says Emmanuel, who is known as Emma to friends.

His condition worsened and he asked to be taken to the hospital where they tested his blood and diagnosed him with a serious case of malaria. The family took him to another clinic and again, he was diagnosed with malaria and typhoid. Many hospital facilities in Uganda lack medicines, and when they are available, they are too expensive.  So, all in all, he was told he could not be cured.

He reached out to another friend, Pastor Buni Alex and asked to be taken to another hospital. “I took him to the largest hospital in Jinga, and they also confirmed he had malaria and typhoid. The water he was taking was affecting him internally” says Buni.

“I got typhoid because of drinking water that was not being boiled.” Says Emma.

Last year, entrepreneur, coach, and teacher Marty L. Ward visited Uganda for the first time to teach children and adults with her TAG program Confidence Eliminates Bullying (CEB), a nonprofit based in Florida. Marty reached out to The Waterbearers to see if she could bring the Sawyer filters to Uganda. We trained Marty via a Skype call and she brought 5 filters to Uganda.

One of those filters was installed in the TAG office, and Buni suggested that Emma start drinking the filtered water. Religiously Emma used the water filter because he lived close to the office. He got the rare chance of drinking safe water. Now one year later, he is no longer sick from typhoid or malaria, and he continues to feel that his body is OK, and he is healthy.

The need for clean water is great in Uganda, and providing water filters can save lives. Throughout the rural areas, children walk several times a day to fetch water that is unsafe to drink. We cannot yet solve the problem of them walking to a well to fetch water, but we can help them stay healthy when they get it home. Yet another chore is alleviated as they no longer need to collect so much firewood for boiling water.

Jane Brinton is Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Waterbearers