Water Compass

Woman retrieving water from pump
A Water Compass Well in Action

Program Description

Water Compass is a Boston-based non-profit organization that builds and manages clean and reliable water supplies for poorly served rural communities in Uganda. The organization collaborates with households and communities on improving sanitation, and promotes effective hygiene solutions in homes, schools, and health centers.

To build these water resources, Water Compass will upgrade existing water sources or drill new ones. Each well is solar-powered and built on raised storage tanks. Water distribution points are constructed and managed by a solar-powered digital payment system. Each system has a local agent who manages the system, collects payments, and sells cleaning supplies and sundries on site. Once the wells are constructed through philanthropic dollars, they are entirely self-sufficient.

A young girl swinging on a swing
Water Compass wells help keep young girls in school

The impact of local, reliable, and safe water is particularly significant for women and girls in the community, who often have to spend several hours each day on a roundtrip journey for water and are unable to attend school or work.

The Ilene Beal Foundation is supporting Water Compass with a $35,000 to support the development of a new water supply in the village of Butayunja in south-central Uganda.

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