By participating in WaterCan's Gifts of Water holiday campaign 2011, you are contributing to the contruction of 12 hand-dug and borehole wells to provide clean, safe drinking water to 4,125 children, women and men in Katooke sub-county, Kyenjojo District, Uganda. With access to clean water lives are transformed, creating hope, health and opportunity where none existed before.

The impact of this project on families and communities will be both immediate and long lasting. With improved health, community members will be better prepared to pursue productive activities and contribute to their communities. Children, who are among the most vulnerable to water-borne diseases, will have a better chance to survive their early years and go on to attend school. Gender equality will also be promoted as women will have more time for involvement in family and community affairs, and girls will be more likely to attend school on a regular basis.

Nicknamed the "Pearl of Africa", Uganda is a small and highly fertile country lying just north of the equator in central east Africa. Most of Uganda is fairly flat, with mountain ranges in the east, along the Kenyan and Rwandan border and in the southwest. Approximately 15% of the country is covered by lakes, including Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake.

Since the late 1980s, following several decades of brutal internal conflict, most Ugandans have enjoyed peace and stability. Widespread poverty, however, remains a major challenge. The majority of Uganda's population earns less than US $2 per day, making life a daily struggle.

Although the Ugandan government has made tremendous strides to improve water and sanitation coverage, there is still much to do. The general lack or inadequacy of basic health and social services such as water and sanitation -particularly in rural areas where most people live - has unfortunately contributed to death rates among Ugandan children that are more than 17 times greater than in Canada. In 1991, WaterCan started working with local Ugandan NGOs to help bring clean water and sanitation to poor communities.

Kyenjojo District, locally translated as "the place where elephants live", is a rural area located in western Uganda and home to approximately 266,250 residents. WaterCan's water and sanitation efforts in partnership with local NGO JESE will focus on the Katooke sub-county, a generally hilly area with vast swamps and rivers. Approximately 64 per cent of children, women and men in this sub-county rely on these swamps and rivers for their drinking water. This water is shared indiscriminately with livestock and wild animals. The practice of boiling water is difficult here due to low vegetation coverage and thus inadequate firewood. The local water situation is made worse by a general lack of sanitation facilities and minimal information about good hygiene practices.

The absence of clean water sources, basic sanitation infrastructure and hygiene education has led to a high rate of water-borne diseases. Diarrhea, cholera, skin and eye infections are common among residents. Such diseases are frequently deadly and contribute significantly to reduced life expectancy and high infant and child mortality. Sickness also undermines the ability of people to pursue productive activities such as farming and schooling.

While all members of the community are affected by lack of water and sanitation, for women and girls the consequences can be especially sever and life-altering. They spend many hours each day collecting water and often times risk physical assault when carrying water over long distances. This daily back-breaking chore prevents many from attending school or engaging in empowering activities that would allow them to build brighter futures for themselves and their families.

Change is possible! Over the past twenty-four years, WaterCan has witnessed the immediate and long-term benefits that access to clean water and sanitation facilities bring to communities marred by poverty. In all cases, access to these vital necessities has had a profound ripple effect, promoting development in multiple areas from health and education to gender equality and microfinance.

Statistics from the World Health Organization and UNICEF show that together we are making a real difference. For the first time, the number of people without access to clean drinking water has dropped below 1 billion worldwide-more than 1.5 billion have gained access since 1990. Despite this encouraging progress, there still remains a lot of work to be done. Your generous support of our Gift of Water holiday campaign 2011 is a vital part of the solution.

Thank you for sharing WaterCan's commitment to Clean Water for All!