ABOUT US

Welcome. I am Mary Rossi, adopted Mother of Umar Ndiwalana. I came to know and be related to Umar through my daughter Maria Rossi Cahill. The two were neighbors and befriended each other, eventually declaring each other their sibling. Maria taught Umar to drive, and during one of those lessons, Umar told Maria a chilling and sad story.

 

ABOUT UMAR

When Umar was 12, his two younger Brothers and Mother died of a water-borne disease. Being from a poor family, Umar and his three younger sisters were moved around to 3 different villages, sometimes with very few resources. The children survived, in great part, to Umar's determination and care for them. Today, Umar is studying to be a nurse and dreams of a time when he can return to Uganda and teach his people about sanitation to prevent unnecessary death.

This was the only water source for the community of Buzungu before the well was built:

 

To know Umar is to love Umar. He is a beacon of hope and optimism. Recently, I was able to make one of his dreams come true. We built a well in one of the three villages that raised him -- a village where the government had promised water for 100 years but then said it was too deep and gave up. So did the villagers. They never imagined that they would have clean water! The outpouring of gratitude has been overwhelming and left us all speechless.
 
Here is Umar on a recent facebook post:
"I don't know what English word I can use to express what this means to our people. I don't know whether you know mom Mary Rossi how many lives you are impacting by donating the [well]. Again thank you so much mom Mary, Sister Maria Rossi Cahill and Steven Cahill for all your coordinating, research, technical support, communication etc, Kasirye Medie thank you for coordinating on the ground, organizing the celebration and everything you did to make this project happen!!"
 
ONE MORE WELL
Now, our team here in the US and Uganda would like to repeat that success again. We want to build another well for the last of Umar's villages that don't have clean water, in Kigatto (in the subcounty Kibibi, in the district of Butambala).
 
COST ESTIMATE
The well we've already built was $16,000. A community member donated land and all project and financial management was done by me for free. Maria provided technical oversight of the project for free, using her civil engineering degree and decades-long experience in water systems. Kasirye Medie volunteered as our liaison to coordinate with the community and the engineering firm that they chose, Kasthew Contractors UG Ltd.

Water was 300 feet deep for the first well, so a big drilling rig like this will be necessary to bring clean water to the village of Kigatto: 

And, this new well is in a more remote area, and we don't know whether we'll find free land again or how deep this well will have to be. This is why we're asking for $20,000, but you still won't find a less expensive well for the money. The engineers at Kasthew were very professional and worked closely with the community. Their fees include a thorough hydrogeological study at the beginning, quality materials and workmanship, and educating the community about maintaining good functioning of the well in the long-term.
 
IN LOVING MEMORY
We are honored and grateful to bring water to Umar's communities. This time, we invite you to be a part of it.
 
In Loving Memory of Umar's Mother and two younger Brothers:
Mastula Nalubale Zimula
Patrick Serumaga
Abdul Nsubuga