A humanitarian trip to Uganda: the day I saw children fight over a bottle of water

Some moments stay with you forever, scenes you never forget. My very first humanitarian trip to Uganda was exactly that.

We were there to visit several wells. Arriving at the hotel, the best one in town, the first surprise: I turned on the tap and no clear water came out. It was literally mud. The result: no running water for two days, the time it took them to carry out repairs.

So we went to the local shop to buy bottles of water. Seeing children follow us and wait outside with a smile, we also picked up a few cakes and sweets to make them happy. But when we came out, everything happened very fast.

The bags were literally torn from our hands. And what shocked me most was that it was neither the cakes nor the sweets they wanted: the children were fighting each other to grab the bottles of water.

It marked me deeply, because you just cannot imagine living through it. Back home, we turn on a tap without even thinking. Over there, children end up fighting over a single bottle of mineral water. It brutally puts things back in perspective about how lucky we are, and about how urgent the situation is for them.

Today, we have the means to change this and to bring them clean water, right where they live. In Uganda, the country where Goutte d'Espoir builds the most, a well costs 350 euros and is completed in 3 to 5 weeks. Once installed, the hand pump provides access to drinking water for years, with no electricity and no outside maintenance.

Let's make the difference together. You can fund a well in Uganda, alone or with others through a group pot, choose the name engraved on the plaque (or stay anonymous), and receive the complete proof once the water is running.