Help build a Well and watch a village grow

Our friend Frank recently sold the small house he had inherited near Kamplala, Uganda and bought a farm in Gayaza, Kapeeka, Uganda. Before we go on, we should tell you that Frank is one of the most amazing people we’ve ever known. (We’ll tell you more about him later so you understand why he’s so amazing). Kapeeka is a very rural area of Uganda approximately 39 miles outside of Kampala, the Ugandan capital. Gayaza has over 200 residents. All of its residents (now including Frank) plus 3 other villages of equal size have no access to clean, safe water. We need your help to change this and build a well which will provide clean and safe water to Frank and his neighbors. This project will not only better the health and well being of nearly 800 people, but will also open the door for a string of projects that will help the people of Gayaza and neighboring villages become self-reliant and more economically secure.

Reasons to donate
There are so many very deserving people and causes on GoFundMe. With a large number to chose from, why should you donate to us?

- With your donation you will be helping not just one person but approximately 800 people to have a better life

- This project is only the first step in helping many people to become self reliant and economically stable through the non profit, Well Wishers International, which we are currently working very hard to build

- You will directly prevent the sickness and death of children and adults

- The gift of water is the gift of life.

- Frank rocks

- There is a plan in place where the villagers can maintain the well for generations to come

- You can follow our progress on our website: www.wellwishersinternational.com

Or on our Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/Wellwishersinternational/

You can see other videos on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC01J5GHRCcW9f1rrlgznz8g

You can follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellwishersintl/

- If this campaign is successful, we plan to continue our efforts and build more wells

The people of Gayaza currently collect all of their water from a man     made trench dug and used by a farmer to provide water for his cows. The water is stagnant, milky and dangerous to drink. People must walk into the water to collect it. It is used by many local animals. This water is used to drink, cook, bath and clean with. Stagnant water such as this can be filled with parasites and bacteria that cause many illnesses including cholera, typhoid and dysentery, illnesses common to the people of Gayaza. In many families, women are tasked with the job of walking long distances to collect the water in large containers and carry them back to their homes. This is done every single day. Depending on how far away from the trench they live, this can take several hours a day and is very physically challenging. During the drought season, the farmer shuts down access to the trench in order to ensure he has enough water for his cows, leaving the villagers with little options for water.

Frank bought a 3 acre farm and had a very small house (no kitchen or bathroom) built on the land. He is using the farm to plant pumpkins which if the crops are successful, will yield a good income. He has employed numerous villagers to help him dig the holes and plant the pumpkin seeds. With the income from the pumpkins, he will be able to buy more land to grow more.

We want to build a well that can be used not only for Frank and his farm but for the people of the village and neighboring villages. This will give them access to clean, safe water and will improve the overall health of the residents of Gayaza as well as 3 neighboring villages.  After the well is completed, the village council will organize to collect an annual fee of $1 or $2 dollars annually which will go to the maintenance of the well to ensure it’s continual use. For some in this area, it will take saving for many months to secure this fee, but they will happily contribute to have access to clean and safe water. We are working with 3 building companies to determine which will provide the best option and materials.

The well will be a deep water well dug and built right from beneath the water table and this will automatically ensure a constant water flow. It will be able to collect up to 20000 liters per week and will be supplemented with a storage water tank to ensure a constant supply.

The well will be built in a centralized location that will be easily accessible. As there is no public land, the space was chosen by the villagers and will be on the land of one of their most trusted residents.

If this well is built, Frank has a better chance of raising successful crops. This means more jobs for the local residents. Clean, available water can help those who own land to be able to plant farms of their own, a project that Frank plans to initiate from the proceeds of his farm, to get them started. In turn, those farmers will employ more villagers who will be able to save money to buy land for their own farms. With a growing economic environment of the villages, more wells may be potentially built. The ultimate goal is to help facilitate those in the villages to be self- reliant and to prosper.  

Our friend Frank is 29 years old and has the biggest heart of anyone we have ever known. We have worked with Frank on many projects in Uganda and have also witnessed the many, many projects he has conducted on his own and the countless people he has helped.

Frank helped found and run a pre- school in Banda . Many parents in this area do not understand the importance of an education and/or can’t afford the expenses needed and do not send their children to school. 50 children (ages 3 to 10) have attended Franks pre-school. Frank has also financially supported numerous children in attending primary and secondarily school. He runs a Womens Project where he teaches local women marketable skills such as sewing, soap making, basket weaving and tie dye in order to financially support themselves and their families. Albinos are shunned in Uganda and often assaulted or killed for their body parts which are believed to bring good luck. Frank has raised funds and secured donations to provide basic necessities and hats to protect them from the sun. He has done a great deal of work with HIV prevention as well as reproductive health advocacy. Frank runs an annual anti- malaria mosquito nets and test and treat for Malaria Project that has provided more than 800 mosquito nets to protect children from malaria. To write every project he’s initiated or helped with and the stories of all the individuals he’s helped would take up too much space, but we’ll leave it at that Frank is a true world and life changer with a heart of gold.
Links to some of his projects:
https://www.facebook.com/NAMIUganda/?modal=suggested_action&notif_id=1562561801139273&notif_t=page_user_activity
https://www.facebook.com/RMNCAHYouth19/?hc_location=group 

We ask that you help us raise the money to build a well for Frank and his neighbors. Any money left over after the well will be used to help Frank with his efforts to further stabilize the community by helping to plant farms and provide deworming and other medications to the children. Thank you so much in advance for any help you can provide. It is our dream to not only build this Well, our pilot program, but to turn this effort into a non- profit to continue building Wells and helping to stabilize communities throughout Uganda and possibly neighboring countries. We are extremely grateful for any help you can provide in making this reality and the people of Gayaza send their thanks and love.