Our Uganda Trip: Seeing drop4drop in action

We are really proud of our partnership with drop4drop, where every bottle of Life Water or Smart Water that we sell, funds clean water projects across the globe.

Through sales of Life Water, Medirest, part of our Healthcare business, has funded 16 of these clean water projects across the globe, changing the lives of over 22,700 people. Steve Cenci, Managing Director, Healthcare and Andy Jones, Managing Director of Healthcare Retail recently went to the Mpigi District in Uganda, where they visited two of the water projects that Medirest has funded.

Steve Cenci has written about the experience:

I was lucky enough to be invited by our charity partners drop4drop to go to Uganda to see first-hand the clean water wells we have been able to fund through the purchase of Life Water in all our hospital stores. Nothing can really prepare you for the basic way of life that these very rural villages and their people have to endure. In our very small way, taking away the anxiety caused by unreliable sources of water, which are often up to 3kms away from the village, is one way of helping these communities to live better, safer lives.

Despite the obvious hardship of daily life, I found the people to be full of pride, hope and gratitude for what we were able to do. It was very humbling to be offered gifts of fresh fruit and vegetables as tokens of their appreciation. We went to two villages that are due to have new wells installed as well as one that has had the well in place for some time and the difference was stark. The experience was something that I will never forget along with the smiling faces of the children.

One enduring image I have is of the primrose yellow 20 litre plastic ‘jerry’ cans which are in evidence everywhere. The collection of safe drinking water is a very big part of the daily lives of all these rural communities. Images of women and children (who often do the fetching and carrying) walking along bright red, dust roads or paths precariously balancing one or sometimes two of these jerry cans will always stay with me. I’m so pleased to have been given the opportunity to see this and the difference these wells are making.

The water projects visited in Uganda are:

Lwamikoma 1, Mpigi District

Population: 331

Completed: 2016

Bukula 2, Mpigi District

Population: 395

Completed: Due to begin construction, due October 2017

For more information about drop4drop and the projects the Medirest team has supported around the globe you can go to: www.life-water.co.uk/medirest

To date, as a result of sales of Life Water across Compass Group UK and Ireland, we have been able to provide the funds to construct over 120 clean water projects globally, changing the lives of over 100,000 people.

To find out more about these projects go to: www.life-water.co.uk/compass