Because of a severe leg injury, he requires a cane to walk so Jacob needs to leave his hut by 6am to open the well on time at 7am. More than 400 people from six small villages are counting on him and he’s not about to let them down.

“They all voted for me to be the caretaker and I am determined to do a good job and help the well last for a long time,” Jacob said. “I can’t be late. People need their water.”

Mornings are a busy time in the Menya home as Jacob must help get his three youngest children get ready for school before he can start the one-mile walk to the borehole.

The daily walk to the borehole is bittersweet. In 2007, Jacob lost his wife of 35 years to a water-related illness.

 “I am very, very happy that we now have this clean water and that my friends and neighbors will not have to suffer like my family did,” he said. “But, I’m sad it didn’t come in time to save my wife.”

The villages’ old source of drinking water was a lake in the middle of a swamp about two miles away. Diarrhea, worms, typhoid and other water-related were a part of everyday life. Deaths were not uncommon.

“It was disgusting but it was all we had,” Jacob said.

His job requires him to unlock the pump at 7am and lock it up again at 6pm. He is also responsible for keeping the area around the well clean and offering hygiene and sanitation tips to users.

For this, he receives a monthly stipend of 20,000 Ugandan Shillings (about $10) which comes out of the maintenance fees collected from people using the well. On average, families contribute 1,200 shillings a month (about 50 cents).

He also gets all the clean water he can drink which is a perk of the job as far as Jacob is concerned.

“This water tastes great!”

Funded by Water to Thrive and constructed by International Lifeline fund, the Baroromo Borehole opened in October 2014. It is located in Uganda’s Apac District.

With only a few weeks left in lent, consider donating now to provide wells in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania and to make an impact in a life like Jacob’s. 

 

 

 

Because of a severe leg injury, he requires a cane to walk so Jacob needs to leave his hut by 6am to open the well on time at 7am. More than 400 people from six small villages are counting on him and he’s not about to let them down.

“They all voted for me to be the caretaker and I am determined to do a good job and help the well last for a long time,” Jacob said. “I can’t be late. People need their water.”

Mornings are a busy time in the Menya home as Jacob must help get his three youngest children get ready for school before he can start the one-mile walk to the borehole.

The daily walk to the borehole is bittersweet. In 2007, Jacob lost his wife of 35 years to a water-related illness.

 “I am very, very happy that we now have this clean water and that my friends and neighbors will not have to suffer like my family did,” he said. “But, I’m sad it didn’t come in time to save my wife.”

The villages’ old source of drinking water was a lake in the middle of a swamp about two miles away. Diarrhea, worms, typhoid and other water-related were a part of everyday life. Deaths were not uncommon.

“It was disgusting but it was all we had,” Jacob said.

His job requires him to unlock the pump at 7am and lock it up again at 6pm. He is also responsible for keeping the area around the well clean and offering hygiene and sanitation tips to users.

For this, he receives a monthly stipend of 20,000 Ugandan Shillings (about $10) which comes out of the maintenance fees collected from people using the well. On average, families contribute 1,200 shillings a month (about 50 cents).

He also gets all the clean water he can drink which is a perk of the job as far as Jacob is concerned.

“This water tastes great!”

Funded by Water to Thrive and constructed by International Lifeline fund, the Baroromo Borehole opened in October 2014. It is located in Uganda’s Apac District.

With only a few weeks left in lent, consider donating now to provide wells in Ethiopia, Uganda, and Tanzania and to make an impact in a life like Jacob’s.