Decongestion Camp Borehole Repair 
Awere is a camp for nearly 800 Ugandans displaced by conflict with the Lords Resistance Army. As the war comes to an end, displaced Ugandans first move from overcrowded camps to "decongestion" camps. Decongestion camps are closer to home villages, but allow villagers to maintain some of the safety and security found in larger group settlements. 
The borehole in Awere camp has been broken for several years. Residents of the camp drink straight from the Aswa river, nearly a mile from the settlement. Camp leader is Mr. Muzee Ojok. 
Thanks to the generous contribution of ClearWater supporters, our colleague Moses Odongo spent the second week of September, 2008, successfully reconstructing and repairing the well. In coordination with community leaders and the Pader District Water Officer, ClearWater replaced the pump head and riser pipes to a depth of 60 meters. 
Location: Awere, Pader District, Uganda
Completed: September 2008
Number of people affected: 800
Project Costs
Welding of a stand for the pump handle and writing: $93.75
Dismantling of existing pumps: $50.00
Supply & installation of pump head: $168.75
Water tank: $137.50
Supply & installation of UII pipes (GI) (18): $562.50
Supply and installation of connecting rods (19): $296.88
Supply and installation of cylinder head: $112.50
Installation of soak pit: $93.75
Supply and installation of bearings (4): $75.00
Construction of apron: $312.50
Pedestal: $200.00
Blowing: Included
Transport cost: $375.00
Contractor Labor & miscellaneous (35%): $867.34
ClearWater Administrative Costs (10%): $334.55
TOTAL: $3,680.02
(Thanks to Moses Odongo for his excellent photographs of the Awere project)
Primary School Borehole Repair 
Akworo primary school supports 238 boys and 212 girls, ages 8 – 14. The school has one borehole which had been been broken for several years. Until Without a functioning borehole, students would collect drinking water from a nearby swamp. 
In mid-September, 2008,ClearWater worked with district and community leaders to repair the borehole at Akworo primary school. Repairs required replacement of the entire pump mechanism with an “India Model UII” pump head, the standardized wellhead model in the region. 
Repairs went late into the night as ClearWater engineers were forced to pull pipes much deeper than expected. Young schoolchildren stayed close, excited to learn and anxious for clean water at the school. 
ClearWater staff were so excited to support the community and repair the well that we chose to work after dark rather than break and wait another day for clean water at Akworo. 
Finally, near 11pm, the work was finished. Children continue to drink clean water at Awere today. 
Unfortunately, teachers still will not stay overnight at the school due to fears of renewed rebel violence. 
Location: Akworo Village, Kitgum District, Uganda
Completed: September 2008
Number of people affected: 450
Project Costs
Welding of a stand for the pump handle and writing: $93.75
Dismantling of existing pumps: $50.00
Supply & installation of pump head: $168.75
Water tank: $137.50
Supply & installation of UII pipes (GI) (18): $562.50
Supply and installation of connecting rods (19): $296.88
Supply and installation of cylinder head: $112.50
Installation of soak pit: $93.75
Supply and installation of bearings (4): $75.00
Construction of apron: $312.50
Pedestal: $200.00
Blowing: Included
Transport cost: $375.00
Contractor Labor & miscellaneous (35%): $867.34
ClearWater Administrative Costs (10%): $334.55
TOTAL: $3,680.02
(Thanks to Moses Odongo for his excellent photographs of the Akworo project)
Thanks to the generous support provided by Greg Schulz and participants in the 2008 Schulzie Invitational Golf Tournament, ClearWater repaired the broken well at Oboko Primary School in May 2008 providing clean water to 600 children.
Oboko primary school, located in Otuke County, Lira District, northern Uganda, was used as a refugee feeding center at the height of the war against the rebel Lords Resistance Army. Although It's unclear when the school borehole was destroyed, it was likely done by the LRA in order to force refugees to flee the area.
Prior to the ClearWater repairs, students at Oboko travel 3 - 5km every day for drinking water. This trek significantly cut into time for studies, and placed young girls at risk when they were forced to walk long distances alone to collect water.
When ClearWater conducted an initial assessment of the well, our engineers determined that the actual hole at Oboko was still good and tapped into a secure aquifer. However, the pump head mechanism was missing and all riser pipes inside the well shaft needed to be replaced. The cost for a new pump head, installation and rehabilitiation of the existing hole was $2,500.
After several days labor, ClearWater successfully repaired the well at Oboko. ClearWater installed an India UII manual pump head, a model easily repaired maintained by sub-County water officials. 
A wooden fence was placed around the hole to guard against cattle, but the fence was removed by local herders about a month after repairs were completed. ClearWater continues to work with the local community to maintain the fence. 
Location: The school itself is located in Ating parish, Orum sub-county, Otuke county, Lira District, in northern Uganda. Here's a rough map link:
Total Cost: $2,500
Population affected: 600 primary school children
In April 2008, ClearWater Initiative completed construction of a protected spring at Apookeni village.
Apookeni was a frequent passageway for rebels of the Lords Resistance Army during the violent conflict in northern Uganda which has lasted more than 20 years. Even as ClearWater began to filter this spring, local women and children had no choice but to continue drinking the turbid water. 
The soil around Apookeni is largely composed of clay which leeches into the drinking water. Runoff from animal waste and fertilizer from nearby fields has also contaminated this source. Finally, wild animals drink from the stagnant pool. these factors contribute to a high rate of diarrheal disease in children around Apookeni who drink from the polluted source. 
To build a protected spring, we first dig a trench 20 meters from the existing pond, upstream along the clean underground spring. 
We hire local villagers to collect small stones and buy homemade bricks from the community, as a way of creating a sense of ownership and ensuring funds are spent at a local level. Sometimes villagers are hired, or even volunteer, to help with ClearWater protected spring projects.
ClearWater also purchases larger stones as part of the 3-tier natural filtration system.
And of course, people continue to come for water as the work progresses.
Once materials have been collected and a space for the natural filter has been dug out, we construct a retaining wall with steps to allow easy access to the water, now flowing through a PVC pipe. By simply elevating the water and channeling it through a clean pipe, we eliminate bacteria that flourish in stagnant water. The water is now free of animal waste, a major cause of childhood diarrheal disease.
The area above the spring is then filled in with three layers of natural filtering materials: sand, small stones and larger rocks, to catch large pieces of sediment which could otherwise flow through the pipes. Water not captured for human use will flow down an irrigation channel for animals to use. 
The filter is covered with a thick tarp, and the tarp is then covered in rich topsoil. Local villagers work to plant a natural fence of thick, prickly bushes, which ensure that animals and people won't walk on the filter and possibly damage the tarp or compress the sand.
When constructed properly, protected springs like this one have been known to provide clean water for more than 20 years with only minimal maintenance.
Location: Ating Parish, Orum Sub-county, Otuke County, Lira District, Northern Uganda
Cost: $1150
Completed: April 2008
Number of people affected: 700
(Thanks to Moses Odongo for his excellent photographs of the Apookeni project)
The protected spring at Eyame Village is the second of two projects funded by donations collected around the ClearWater World Water Day 2008 launch event. Eyame is located in Lira district, and was heavily affected by the war. The project was identified by our local partners in Uganda, in consultation with Ugandan government officials, and is a textbook example of a well-constructed protected spring.
Before any work began, residents of Eyame had little choice but to drink slow moving and stagnant water, often contaminated with animal waste. 
As with the project at Apookeni, ClearWater built a durable retaining wall to elevate the flow of water and dramatically reduce bacterial contamination in the water through animal waste.
A runoff channel below the spigot provides a place for animals to drink, virtually eliminating cross-contamination. 
The natural filter of sand, small stones and larger rocks above the spigot is covered and planted with prickly shrubs to ensure that animals don't roam over the system and compact the soil.
And soon, clean and clear water is flowing!
Location: Eyame Village, Orum Sub-County, Otuke County, Lira District
Cost: $1150
Date completed: April 2008
Number of people affected: 400
(Thanks to Moses Odongo for his excellent photographs of the Eyami project)