Topista Tibenderana
Topista Tibenderana and her family were the first to participate in the Family Rainwater Tank project. Previously, they would walk up to 7 kilometres during the dry seasons to fetch water from rock catchments and seasonal streams—sources that were often unsafe and high in mineral content.
Musime Silvia
Musime Silvia is a widowed mother of six who relies on small-scale farming. Her family walks 5 km down steep hills to fetch water, often facing harassment if the children go alone. They live in a remote hilltop village with poor road access and limited water sources. As a result, Silvia’s children frequently miss school, limiting their future opportunities.
Ayebazibwe Conord
At just 18, Ayebazibwe Conrad has become the head of her household after losing both parents. She now cares for four younger siblings, having already lost one to diarrhoea. Their home is isolated, and they survive on what remains of the family’s small banana plantation. The nearest water source is 4 km away.
Tugumisirize Agness
Tugumisirize Agness lost her husband to HIV/AIDS while she was pregnant with their youngest child. She now raises eight children alone in a hilltop home with no nearby water. Each day, she walks barefoot down a steep hill to fetch water—often with a baby on her back and a heavy jerry can on her head. The water they collect is visibly dirty and turbid, posing serious health risks.
Kyampaire Olivious
Kyampaire Olivious lives at the top of Kamubeizi Hills with her five children. The nearest water source is 5 km away, and only her older children can help fetch it. The journey is long and punishing, with steep terrain and serious risks—especially for girls walking alone. The water they collect is visibly dirty and often contaminated. As a result, Kyampaire frequently takes her children to health centres for the treatment of waterborne illnesses, spending money she can barely afford.
Tumwakire Agness
Tumwakire Agness is a widow raising nine children in one of Uganda’s most remote regions. Her family has endured deep tragedy, including the loss of a child to a crocodile while fetching water from the Kagera River, 10 km away. The search for water shapes every day, through drying streams, unsafe catchments, and long, exhausting walks.
Nyamaguru Kedress
Nyamaguru Kedress is the mother of seven children, though only three have survived. Four died from waterborne illnesses like typhoid and diarrhoea. Her eldest daughter, who has never attended school, stays home to care for her brother, who lives with a disability, and to help fetch water from a source 6 km away.
Tamurungi Kellen
Tamurungi Kellen, a mother of five, lives in a remote village where her family collects rainwater in containers on the veranda or walks 4 km to fetch it. They rely on rainfall and long journeys to meet their daily needs in an area with limited other resources.
Nkirirehe Justina
Story…
Twine Grace
Story…
Kyoheirwe Grace
Story…
Kahara Judith
Story…
Rosette Mugenyl
Story…
