NAHANT — After raising over $10,000 from the Running and Walking Well 5K in June, Mission for Hope has completed its goal of constructing a well in Uganda to expand local access to clean drinking water.
Mission for Hope is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit aimed at improving the lives of those struggling with poverty, according to its website.
Founder Leighton O’Connor walked The Daily Item through the latest developments in what was a long journey to complete the nonprofit’s goal.
He explained that the proceeds from the event were used to dig the well in Northern Uganda.
“It’s a pumping-water well, and it was built in Aler (a village in Kwania County in Uganda) and it’s now completed,” O’Connor said. Aler is an area that comprises four villages with an approximate population of 6,000.
The pump is manual, and will serve roughly 150 people each day, according to Daniel Davis, a missionary in the area who was involved in the project. He noted that prior to the construction of the well, people had to walk 6-8 kilometers to gather water.
Once Mission for Hope raised funds from the 5K walk — which saw hundreds of people gathering at Nahant Life Saving Station to support the cause — the nonprofit started by contacting missionaries in Uganda to coordinate the construction of the well.
Then the land had to be surveyed, with construction kicking off by mid-July when the project entered the building phase. Davis added that the nonprofit typically relies on the local missionaries the group works with to select a construction company.
“I’m so happy that I’m able to help bring clean water to so many people so far away, and I can’t do this alone,” O’Connor said. “It really takes the support of volunteers and sponsors to make wells like this possible.”
The District Bishop of the Uganda Assemblies of God Alfred Ayer, who oversaw the project, shared his excitement about the milestone.
“The community is very happy, saying God has saved them from long-distance walks for water. They are really jubilating,” Ayer said.
