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Seeking clean water in the 'Pearl of Africa'

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Contributed by: Steve Lowry on 2/27/2007

To many people, Uganda might be the background for a recently acclaimed film, but for Steve Lowry of Littleton it has become his next overseas volunteer assignment. Steve has been selected by Water For People - Water Corps to lead a 3-person team to Uganda for two weeks in April to assess water, sanitation and health hygiene needs. Water for People, a 10-year-old Denver-based humanitarian organization is currently working in 5 countries to complete rural water and sanitation projects. This year they are looking at 10 new countries, including Uganda, to expand their program. The Water Corps is a new group within Water for People consisting of experienced professionals donating their time.

Uganda, an east African country with a population of about 30 million, has been recovering in the last decade from over twenty years of internal conflicts that started under the brutal rule of Idi Amin as portrayed in the recent movie The Last King of Scotland. Once called the "Pearl of Africa" by Winston Churchill, the country has recently made great strides and experienced sustained economic growth of over 6% per year under a relatively stable and progressive government. The mostly agrarian population, with a median age of 15, needs improvements to water and sanitation facilities and improved health hygiene to maintain growth and stability.

World wide over 1 billion people do not have access to clean water and over 2.5 billion people do not have adequate sanitation facilities. Everyday, more than 6,000 children die of waterborne illnesses. Water for People was founded to address these issues by working with local communities to establish sustainable projects. A recent monitoring program has shown that over 90% of the WFP projects implemented over the past 10 years are still functioning well. This is a much higher percentage than normally found in the development field.

The average cost to provide water and sanitation facilities to a family is approximately $35. Costs are kept low by utilizing trained local managers, local materials and receiving in-kind, as well as financial, contributions from the program participants. Local water committees are trained to operate and maintain the systems and establish tariff collection systems to pay for spare parts and operating expenses.

Experience has shown that women often play a major role in such committees. Women bear most of the burden for gathering water. Where a clean water supply does not exist in the village, women and small children often spend several hours a day walking to a well, spring or river that is likely to be contaminated. The provision of a clean, centralized water source in a village reduce illness and frees up significant amounts of time that women can use to take better care of children, increase crop production and participate in revenue earning activities.

An 'oasis of joy'

In Denver we think of a water shortage as meaning we have to cut back on watering our lawn or to think about installing a low flush toilet. But in many parts of the world a water shortage means having to walk an extra mile or more carrying a bucket of water weighing 40 pounds or more just to have water for basic drinking, cooking and washing.

I have always been struck by how a small investment in basic infrastructure in rural communities can make such a big difference in peoples' lives. Health improves, women are able to spend their time more productively, children have more time in school and development in the community has a better chance of succeeding.

As Wende Valentine, the Associate Manager of Regional International Programs for Africa and Asia for Water for People recently stated after a visit to West Bengal in India, these projects are often an "oasis of joy" in otherwise underdeveloped and sometimes desperate areas.

As an American who has lived outside the US on and off since 1971 I have seen how reaction of people in the developing world towards the US has changed. Whereas our government used to been seen as a provider of beneficial development aid, in most areas aid has been reduced as funds are redirected to military operations.

In the minds of many, we have become "destroyers" rather than "builders". I've taken note of the US soldiers in Iraq who take such pride in being part of building a school, getting water and power running again. If only this kind of effort could have been done earlier in a peaceful environment, much of the war environment might have been avoided. Peace, stability and development are indivisible and none of them can survive during conflicts.

Despite the events since 2000, I still maintain the dream of many that better understanding by politicians and diplomats could result in more of a Peace Corps or Water Corps presence and less of a need for the Marine Corps.

Steve Lowry

A little help

The Water Corps does not provide financial support for volunteers. Airfare, lodging, food and other expenses will total about $4,000 per volunteer. Donations to support the program are welcome. People interested in the Water Corps program can reach Steve Lowry at stevelowry@yahoo.com or by phone at 720.839.4132, or visit the Water for People web site at waterforpeople.org.

Steve Lowry was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana in the early 1970's. That experience showed him the difference that clean, accessible water can make. After he returned to he US, he designed and constructed community water systems for the Indian Health Service in Montana. Since 1980 he has been a water resources engineer based in the Denver area. During his career he has spent nearly 10 years living overseas in countries such as Zambia, Egypt, and the Philippines.

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