People living in rural Uganda are set to benefit from 12 tap stands built by Acts for Water, a Richmond-based organization, to boost clean water supply. The tap stands were built using a system called Gravity Flow Systems which uses the force of gravity to deliver clean water from high up in the mountains to homes, health clinics and schools.
According to Jeff Golby, CEO of Acts for Water, the average Ugandan has to walk 3km to fetch dirty and disease-filled water. The tap stands will ensure people living in rural Uganda have clean water, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “While we in Canada are obviously appropriately waiting a long time for a vaccine to come, it will be a long time for people in rural Uganda to get access to a vaccine, if ever. There are Canadians giving the single most effective way for people to defend themselves against COVID-19, which is clean water supply,” said Golby.
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Funding the project
According to Mr. Golby, each tap stand costs US $10,000 to build, but it works out to be US $2 per person for clean, safe water for a year. The majority of funding for the project came from Richmond residents, businesses and churches and was collected through fundraisers. “These small acts by people in Richmond are making a big impact on real people in Uganda,” added the CEO.
Meanwhile, Acts for Water has begun on a new water supply project in Muhaha, southwest Uganda, and is planning to fundraise for it on World Water Day on March 22. Acts for Water is an organization with 30 years of history in fundraising for clean and accessible water in Uganda.
