Earlier this year it was announced that Radish had secured its second clean water project in collaboration with Life Water UK and its partner charity drop4drop. The location of the project was Uganda. Seven months later, Operations Director, Mark Hammond, had the opportunity to fly out the village Kabuye and see the finished product – and, more importantly, meet the people it will be benefiting from hereon.
“Like most, I’ve watched documentaries and other television programmes that show people in third world countries living without the daily essentials that we in the UK take for granted. Not having access to clean water seems unfathomable to me, and for quite some time I’ve wanted to give something back in a tangible way. Visiting the well in Uganda was a great opportunity to see first-hand the direct positive impact Radish as a business has had with the Life Water project” says Mark.
Arriving at the airport in Entebbe, Mark was struck by the warm smile he received from the woman at border control. This genuine welcome, and friendliness of local people, would be a feature of the rest of Mark’s trip. Early the next morning Mark was picked up by his guide Derek, and the two set off to Kabuye. “Derek was fantastic, he told me about the well and what life is like in Uganda. We were greeted on arrival by the local school children that sang a song of thanks to Radish for building the well. It was a humbling moment.”
After meeting many of the villagers, Mark was taken to the well and had the opportunity to extract some water. “It looked crystal clean, clear and fresh. I suppose in my mind exactly what I was expecting to see!”
“I was then pointed in the direction of a nearby hole, sloping and filled with stagnant green/brown water. It hit me – this had been the villages’ source of water before the well was built.”
The water source was shared with wildlife, and sickness and stomach problems had been rife in the village. “The well has transformed the lives of these people. There was a huge sense of relief, and an alleviation of fear. Imagine having no choice but to give your child water that you fear will potentially make them sick, or at worst kill them. It’s an impossible situation that Life Water and Radish has helped to resolve.”
Mark was given a tour of Kabuye and invited into people’s homes – often single rooms with no electricity. “Everything was spotless and I was impressed by how house proud the villagers were. By western standards these people have next to nothing, yet they were happy and made me feel truly welcome.”
“On a personal level, I left Kabuye with a completely different perspective on what true struggle is. I’m also immensely proud that our business is able to support projects like this.”
Radish now has two completed Life Water projects – India and Uganda – with fundraising for the third well under way via the sale of Life Water bottles at our sites. To find out more about the incredible work Life Water and drop4drop are doing, visit the website.
