Harriet’s Story: From Drought to Overflow

Our team met Harriet in April 2022 when we visited Buharwe Village and she kindly allowed us to join her family on their daily walk for water. 

She shared how her last name Nyamihanda – “the path” – was given to her because she was born on a path as her mom was trying to make it to the hospital. Harriet, born on a path, was fed dirty water from the swamp all her life. And her 3 children and 8 grandchildren were too. They would walk twice a day, in the heat of the drought to that swamp. 

Her community wasn’t served by our original plans or funding agreements, but when considering the options: not serving them with clean water now, coming back in a few years, or hoping the government would fund it later, there was no real choice. We had to act.

“When I heard people saying ACTS was coming to our village, I did not have hope that one day my heart would settle without fear of my children falling in the dam when fetching water. When I’d see a child climbing this hill with a jerry can of water, I felt the pain in my chest that they experience in their chest too. This situation made my tears painful, which made me anxious all the time without any hope of solving the challenge.”

That’s when you, our community, stepped in. Because of your generosity, and together with 400 volunteers and local Ugandan funding, Harriet’s Village now has clean, disease-free water just steps away from their front door! Her fear is relieved. Her thirst has ended. 

That extra time she used to spend walking to collect water has been joyfully traded for time with her family. Her tired arms putting down that heavy jerry can and picking up her grandkids. 

“But now, you cannot count the smiles on my face, and my eyes twinkle as I see my children walk only meters to fetch water!”

Amidst a season of drought, you made a real difference by giving generously, and flooding Harriet’s home with joy!! 

Thank you.