'Well' pleased
Until August 2020, the Nawango community relied on a pond on the outskirts of its southern Ugandan village for its water supply. Now, thanks to a partnership between Royal Mail, catering operators Eurest and British water brand, Life Water, the community has access to clean, safe water, writes Zoe Walker.
Royal Mail’s participation in the Life Water clean water project has received positive and enthusiastic feedback from Nawango community members in the Mpigi district of southern Uganda – proving that even our smallest everyday choices and actions can have a positive impact on the world around us.
Clean water is a basic necessity, vital for a fit and healthy life. And yet, there are still areas of the world where entire communities are unable to access clean water.
Whilst clean water is something we take for granted in the UK, 61 per cent of Ugandans do not have access to safe water.
To try to end that problem, every Life Natural Spring Water branded drink funds clean water projects across the globe, through charity partner drop4drop.org, as part of their joint mission to alleviate the World Water Crisis.
By putting its purchasing power to good use and making the ethical choice to purchase Life Natural Spring Water through its procurement processes, Royal Mail was able to help fund a well in the Mpigi district and to ensure a safe, clean and reliable source of water for the community.
Monica, a community member, said: ‘We used to wake up very early in the morning to go fetch water.
‘The water was from a pond and there were a lot of diseases caused by using this dirty water, such as typhoid. Many children suffered from diarrhoea.’
Sometimes, Monica would walk beyond the pond to a neighbouring community to get water, but the walk was an hour and then she spent an hour and a half waiting in line at the nearby well in the next village.
‘When the Drop4Drop team came to tell us about the proposed water project, we didn’t believe it would happen – until we saw people actually starting construction of the well,’ says Monica. ‘Now we have clean safe water in our community. Whenever a community receives access to water, everything changes.’
Royal Mail Facilities Management Contract Manager (Catering), Ray Young, said: ‘We are delighted to have been able to make such a big difference to the quality of life of the Nawango community simply through our ethical procurement process. We are ‘well’ on the way to our second clean water installation, so please continue to support this fantastic charity by buying Life Water from our Eurest catering and vending services.'
