Kabuhome Primary School is one of the biggest primary schools in Ruhaama, with an enrollment of 630 students this year. The absence rate hovers at about 10% during most of the year, which means that more than 60 children miss classes on any given day. The most common cause of school absence by far is water-related disease. “The children fall sick from cholera, typhoid, and malaria,” says Head Teacher Jadreth Kyomugisha. During the dry season, the number of empty seats doubles as children stay home to help their parents carry water from distant sources.
“Good water would be so good for our students,” Ms. Kyomugisha tells us. “They could come to classes for all the year.” Students who spend the dry weeks away from the classroom find it hard to catch up when they return; they are often forced to repeat a grade level, and many simply drop out.
Things will be different for these children soon. Kabuhome is part of Living Water International’s “Back to School: Uganda” campaign, and will have a source of safe, clean water within the next year.
