Meet Sebastian
Our Heroes
Not all heroes wear capes. But we like to think that our Ugandan staff are exactly that.
It was 5 am on Tuesday, April 14th (YEAR) when Sebastian Rwamahe, our Water System Caretaker, received a call from his water committee chairman—road work has cut one of the water pipelines servicing the Nyakyera region. Sebastian jumped out of bed, leaving his wife, Stella, and his family at home, and heads up the hill to the reservoir.
Sebastian had been working for seven years at this water charity as one of two caretakers for the Nyakyera gravity flow system (GFS). As a caretaker, his job was to monitor the 35 kilometers of pipeline and 32 tap stands that service Nyakyera, a region of four communities that includes seven schools, one health clinic, and a growing population of 4,100 people.
He spent about three hours every afternoon surveying the network, travelling up to six kilometers from his home. He would walk the entire network each week. In the mornings he worked as a farmer in his home village of Kyebisinde, one of the communities served by the Nyakyera GFS, providing for his wife and seven children—four boys and three girls, ages 5 to 21.
As a caretaker, Sebastian served an important role in identifying problems with the water system before they escalated. “He responds to a problem immediately,” says Boaz Muhangi, ACTS Community Water Governance and Management Specialist, who’s supported Sebastian in identifing areas where maintenance can be improved. “He is very important to the community project ownership, and the community appreciates his services.”
Shortly after receiving that early morning call, Sebastian reached the reservoir above the cut line and turned off the water flow. From there he ran down to the cut line and put on an end-cap. With approval from the water committee, he used maintenance funds to purchase a connector to fix the broken line.
By the afternoon the next day, Sebastian turned the water flow back on, restoring this life-giving resource to his community.
Not all heroes wear capes. But we like to think that our Ugandan staff are exactly that.
They are some of the most passionate and devoted workers that you will ever meet. They know the communities of people – the children, the families, the teachers and the land that we work in more than we could ever imagine. That it why our Ugandan staff is essentially at the heart of what we do. They know first-hand what the realities of what a lack of an access to clean water looks like and how it can effect people, communities, places, and even hopes and dreams.
That is why people like Sebastian are heroes to us – someone who will wake up hours before his alarm clock to make sure that every step of bringing clean water to a community is taken care of.
This is what sets our clean water charity apart from other organizations. From begging to end, our staff ensure our projects are maintained and working for years to come. We believe that sustainability is the key to thriving communities.