Thanks to various fantastic fundraising efforts and generous donations, WATSAN has significantly improved its financial position since the end of 2019.

When we last contacted our supporters with a newsletter in December, WATSAN’s financial situation was looking somewhat bleak. However, we are delighted to be able to share several pieces of good news, thanks to the support of our dedicated donors:

• Emma Houghton, our WATSAN representative in Bishops Waltham, Hants, acted rapidly just before the Covid-19 lockdown to organise a very popular quiz night, which raised over £1,000 for WATSAN. Perhaps the last fun event for some time, alas…
• Bishops Waltham Rotary Club also came up with £7,800 to alleviate the stressed water situation at Kinyasano school in Rukungiri.
• Janet Campbell, who accompanied us on the very first WATSAN supporters’ tour back in 1997, died in late January aged 92. She and her family requested that gifts in her memory should be directed to WATSAN and a substantial sum was raised following her memorial service in March. WATSAN was represented at the memorial service by long-term supporters Tim and Margie Bushell.
• Another faithful supporter, Joyce Currie, celebrated her 95th birthday this month with 30 birthday cards, and although now very frail, remembered WATSAN with a cheque, as she regularly does.
• Our Patron, Bishop Andrew, used a favourite WATSAN image of a small girl in Ruhega village drawing water from a newly constructed tapstand for his 2019 Guildford Diocesan Christmas card, and donated to WATSAN the amount he would have spent on commercially produced cards.
• Another £500 arrived from a family trust who support us from time to time.
• An anonymous donation of £4,000 appeared from nowhere during March, for which we are extremely grateful!
• Nykabungo school, where WATSAN has been improving both sanitation and the water supply, will shortly have sufficient water for both the school and the local village community, thanks to a gift of £2,500 from the Mary Wood Trust, initiated by Clare and Oliver Ramsden, who regularly accompany us on the Walk for Water weekends. Clare and Oliver returned recently from a visit to Uganda, which included Nykabungo, sadly cut short by the arrival of Covid 19 in Uganda.

And of course our warmest thanks to our 45 or so regular and committed supporters. Without your financial help WATSAN simply could not continue.

Read more about our donors