Lifewater’s work to restore dignity to communities through water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is an effort that affects much more than physical health. When Lifewater and our Ugandan partner organization trained Acede village in northern Uganda, the people in Acede gained pride and dignity.

Lucy Imat, 70 years old, celebrates the recent WASH training that Divine Waters Uganda brought to the men and women of Acede village. Lucy, (picture attached), exclaimed “Women in [past] days would never be elected as leaders of water sources because we were lowly valued and most women were not educated. But out of this training, Acede women are ready to take up our posts as leaders of the water source!”

Mr. Nelson Okeng serves on the parish development committee (PDC) of Acede and is married with 9 children. Mr. Okeng said “the water source and the training we have received is of great help to our community, because most people in the community were not aware of the effect of open defecation, washing water containers and hand washing with soap, but from this training I am going to help our community members to come out of this situation in order to reduce poverty.  I now know that even if we have safe water, without proper hygiene and sanitation, there will be no change in the community.”  The Water Source and Sanitation Committee of Acede, (photo attached), stands ready and equipped to oversee the new well drilled in Acede and to lead the community with dignity towards better health and sanitation.