220 Filters Delivered to Bukasa Community in Uganda

​Bukasa, Kampala, Uganda: Last week, TivaWater distributed 220 filters to families in Bukasa, a community located outside of Kampala. About 3,000 families live in Bukasaand 80% of them are of Rwandanese origin. Most are from the Hutu Tribe, a group that originally escaped the Rwandan war by going to the Congo in 1994 and then reunited in various refugee camps in Uganda. Those that stayed have rebuilt their lives in Bukasa. 

​Some still reside in the refugee camps, which has been “an enriching and tough experience” as expressed by one of the residents. There is still a language barrier (cannot speak the language of Uganda: Lugandan), so many residents do odd jobs, however, others have been able to start their own small businesses. 

​About 80% of the residents get their water from the tap, but it is not safe to drink and must be boiled. The rest collect their water from an open well.  It is expensive to boil water and oftentimes families cannot afford to buy the coal necessary to boil every time. This leaves many of them, especially children, sick with various waterborne illnesses. The community of Bukasa was incredibly grateful for the TivaWater filters. We did not have enough filters for every family this time around, but they all pleaded we bring more. We will continue to support this community as we raise support.