Life in Uganda 8 million people in Uganda don't have access to safe water. Without access to safe water, Uganda’s many farmers struggle to grow crops or earn a living. There are also many nomadic communities who are difficult to reach with services. The lack of clean water and safe sanitation traps them in poverty. Over 4,000 children die every year from diarrhoea caused by unsafe water and poor sanitation in Uganda.

Aleper Lilian This is Aleper Lilian pictured with her daughter Teko Helen and granddaughter Leah. They live in the village Apechoroit in Uganda. Every day they walk one and a half kilometres to fetch water. They cannot bring enough water back from the river to irrigate their crops. When the rains fail, so do their hopes for Harvest.

Aleper Lilian’s children Without a harvest, the family collects leaves from the Ekorete tree to make their only meal of the day. They pound and boil the leaves with a little oil. Here are Aleper Lilian’s children eating this meal. The children are malnourished from eating such basic food.

Life without safe water It may be difficult for us to imagine life without safe water or enough food to eat, but it is the daily reality for millions of people across the world. This is why WaterAid is working to enable the world’s poorest people to gain access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation. These basic human rights underpin health, education and livelihoods and form the first, essential steps out of poverty. In the countries where WaterAid works, poor communities often cannot access sufficient quantities of safe water locally, due to poor infrastructure and bad management of services. This can be down to a lack of skills, investment or political will to prioritise the right to water. WaterAid works with local partners to help communities access safe water and sanitation. And they use their experience and research to influence decision-makers to do more to provide these vital services. They only use practical technologies and make sure the right skills exist in the community so they can keep them working long into the future. By working with local partners they are able to invest in the future of local communities so that they can continue the good work. This is an essential part of their work as they believe it is the most progressive and sustainable approach. Yet the sheer scale of the crisis means that they can't solve it alone. So they work with communities to influence governments and other service providers to prioritise safe water and sanitation. The incredible generosity and commitment of their supporters is behind everything they do.

Akol Catherine In the neighbouring village of Karawataluk lives Akol Catherine with her young daughters, Akol Sharon and Akelo Patricia. Thanks to supporters, WaterAid recently installed a new borehole in the village, bringing a sustainable supply of safe water to her community. Since WaterAid brought water to her village, she has been able to grow vegetables for her family. Her children are thriving, they have full bellies, and lots of energy to play and learn.

Akol Catherine’s harvest Here, Akol Catherine waters her vegetable garden. She says “Even in the dry season I feed my family with fresh vegetables”

The solution WaterAid plans to install a borehole and handpump in the village of Apechoroit and many other villages like it, just as they did in Karawataluk pictured above. The change will mean families like Aleper Lilian’s will be able to grow enough food to eat, and will no longer go hungry.

How you can help This Harvest, WaterAid are encouraging churches to be part of it’s Recipe For Life. Proceeds from the appeal will help give families around the world safe water for many harvests to come. Churches across the country will be holding events such as Recipe For Life brunches, suppers, or simply donating the cost of their Sunday lunch. You can each help by contributing generously to our church’s activity. Every gift will make a difference. A gift of £10 could pay for two taps in a Ugandan village. Together, a gift of £200 from our church could more than pay for a handpump, providing safe, clean water for a whole Ugandan village. Please use the donation envelopes to make sure your donation if Gift Aid, and goes even further, at no cost to you.

Thank you Thank you so much for your support, your support really will help bring safe water for many harvests to come. (Now would be a good time to play the film – downloadable from www.wateraid.org/uk/harvest)