“Since peace has come, many returnees have arrived back home, and wells are becoming overcrowded. Waiting in long lines takes away from study and teaching time.” - Joseph Lugala
Joseph Lugala (pictured middle) is an administrator at St. Luke Nursery and Primary school. He submitted a request for a borehole to be drilled at the school because it was becoming increasingly difficult for students and staff to access water during the day at Lomuku II community well.
Rose Yangi (pictured right) is 49 with 5 children, some of whom attend St. Luke’s. She’s been a resident of Lomuku II for over two decades. Before the 2016 conflicts, the population was over 1000 households (8 per household), all surviving on 2 boreholes. She said it was challenging to access water. Fights often broke out at the well as women were desperate to get water to their families.
When the conflict arose in 2016, the population decreased as many fled to refugee camps. While the community members are relieved the war has ended and are glad to see their neighbors return, they knew issues would arise again at the wells. A third well in the area will relieve great suffering and will relieve conflict points. They felt the best solution would be to drill a borehole on the school grounds as children must be well hydrated to focus on studies. They plan for the well to be closed to the surrounding community during school hours but opened to the public when not in session.
The drilling began early in 2020, and they successfully hit water. However, due to a small rebel uprising in surrounding areas, the crew could not travel to Uganda to retrieve the necessary parts for completion. Roads were unsafe and temporarily shut down. At the end of March, the threat of COVID-19 slowed down progress as well. After receiving training and masks, the team was able to complete the well, and on June 16, 2020, the well was opened to the community.
Rose, Joseph, and other community members and children extended sincere gratitude to the Huntt family for the funding of their well. While times are challenging, indeed, having access to the basics of clean water makes all the difference. Health, education, and quality of life, in general, will vastly improve for the children and staff at St. Luke’s and for the surrounding community.
