The need
The Khwisero need explained: Stolen Time and Contaminated Water
In Khwisero, women and children must take hours to walk miles every day to collect water. Not only distant, but also this water is often dangerously contaminated. Drinking this unclean water means that many Khwiserians suffer from life-threatening diseases, including dysentery, typhoid and cholera. The bitter combination of disease and time spent collecting water from distant sources, forces students, especially girls, to miss school. Time spent collecting and attempting to purify water also prevents women from spending more time on income-generating activities to support themselves and their families. As EWB at MSU Project Manager, Quinn Bloom, succinctly explains: “Clean water is a limiting factor. If you lack clean water, this is what holds you down.”
The need for latrines: Currently, pit latrines (imagine your toilet as a hole in the ground) are the most common type of bathroom in Khwisero. Every time a hole fills up, it is covered, and a new one is dug. The waste leaches through the soil and can contaminate groundwater. Plus, digging new latrines every year or two takes community time away from more productive activities. This waste also pollutes the plot from each old latrine, making this land unusable for years.