The village of Nazigo, Uganda, is far from the beaten path and has remained largely untouched for decades. It’s a lush community—tucked in a picturesque African rainforest—but it’s also defined by the ugly reality of poverty.
Our Regional Director of Africa, Cyrus Mad-Bondo, recently visited this village, and the report he sent back was sobering. The community has never had a source of clean drinking water, resulting in a myriad of water-related illnesses. Sickness is a way of life in Nazigo.
Cyrus watched as dozens of children disappeared into the bush in search of water—many of them traveling all morning—only to face the return trip with a filled jerry can weighing up to 40 pounds and full of disease.
These children spend hours hauling the very water that makes them sick . . . and are in danger as they do it. Most of them travel alone and are barely big enough to carry their jerry cans. One girl told Cyrus that she feels safe when her dog is with her—still too young to understand the danger she faces alone in the woods.
Among those children was 6-year-old Joseph, whose disabilities were immediately noticeable. A deformed hand hung lifeless by his side and scars blazed across his left cheek. He had been severely burned as he tried to light a fire. And because there was no medical facility nearby, his family had no choice but to let his hand heal on its own. Today, it is withered and useless, making his task of collecting water nearly impossible.
Cyrus reported all of this in a detailed email: “They are skinny, tired, and hungry, but still must go look for water. They can get burned, but have no health facility.”
He went on to write, “[But] all of this is about to change.”
In a few short months, Nazigo will have a clean-water well of its own—the first of its kind in the area. Four generous individuals came together to provide this new well. Their vision to supply clean water means the community’s 2,000 residents will no longer suffer helplessly from easily preventable illnesses.
But the story gets better! Two more individuals, James and Alice Taylor, gave the funds to build a medical clinic in Nazigo, which means that children, like Joseph, will have emergency medical care when they need it!
In the span of just a few months, life in Nazigo will be turned upside down. Sickness will decrease, lives will be extended, pain will be eased, and hope will become the norm.
Cyrus had the unforgettable opportunity to tell the villagers the news about their new well and medical clinic: “The reaction of the people was instantaneous—sheer joy!”
This story is an echo of the hope we fight for at World Help. We’re thankful for supporters like these who partner with us to make it a reality. From our hearts and the hearts of those in Nazigo, thank you for helping us bring hope to those who need it the most.