Student-Led Program Supports Clean Water Access in Uganda
As a general maintenance worker at Canyon Pass Provisions, Sam Chandler Rumson organizes merchandise shipments, assists with renovations, and maintains the store’s cleanliness. Outside his profession, Sam Chandler Rumson frequently volunteers for nonprofit organizations such as Change a Life Uganda, where he organized fundraisers for the Quarters for Water program.
In the dry areas of Uganda, the scarcity of water forces families to resort to often contaminated sources, leading to life-threatening diseases. Envisioned to combat this problem, the Quarters for Water program engages Ugandan students and their families to prioritize their own access to clean water. Under the program, students collect quarters to fund the construction of equipment such as wells, collection tanks, and filtration systems.
Launched by a group of New Jersey students in 2009, the program has since benefited from outside collaboration. Donations from Merck & Co., the Segal Foundation, various Rotary Clubs, as well as generous individuals have gone toward the project’s first phase, which involved drilling a well and building clean water infrastructure in Migyera town.
Buoyed by this initial success, Quarters for Water has now begun implementing the project’s second phase, which includes the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative. This involves the installation of water collection tanks and filtration systems in the community, with the aim of improving overall living conditions. In addition, the WASH initiative engages teams of students to teach their families about good hygiene and trains women to make and sell their own sanitary products.