Dedicated WATSAN volunteers and supporters walked 22 miles through the Oxfordshire countryside to raise a record sum of money for our much-needed project at Rumbugu Primary School.

Forty-three people (and one dog!) tackled the figure-of-eight walk, which included some vertiginous ascents and descents over the Ridgeway, stunning views of White Horse Hill, and refreshment stops in charming spring-line villages. Setting out at 8.15am from the Court Hill Centre on Saturday 24th June 2017, the last of the group returned at around 8pm the same day. The trail was challenging for some, who suffered rather phenomenal blisters, and less so for others – embarrassingly for the sufferers, the walkers in their 70s and 80s seemed to stroll comfortably to the end as if taking in a 22-mile hike was part of a normal day’s work! We are grateful for the support of Medical Officer Matt Dunckley, who patched up the damage along the route.

The walkers included several WATSAN trustees, our Patron Andrew Watson, Bishop of Guildford, and a large number of the congregation from St Peters Church in Bishop’s Waltham, who were preparing to embark on a visit to WATSAN’s projects in Uganda, as well as longstanding donors and supporters of all ages. We were ably supported by an indispensable team of volunteers providing an array of refreshments and homemade cakes at our break points at Kingston Lisle, and the lunch stop was generously provided at the home of friends of WATSAN Graham and Isobel Weller at Ashbury. On returning to Court Hill participants were treated to a slap-up celebration dinner lovingly prepared by two Cordon Bleu cooks, Becca Symes and her mother Camilla.

The weekend was also the chance for supporters to reconnect with the work of WATSAN, with a presentation on the Friday evening by our Chair Ian Bensted, who shared information about the current staff team in Uganda, and an update on the Rumbugu project. Thanks to the generosity of the walkers and their sponsors, this project has since been completed, and we have funds available for a much-needed replacement vehicle for the team to navigate the rather bumpy Ugandan roads. Without the latter, much of WATSAN’s work in the area would be impossible.

On Sunday morning a service was led by WATSAN trustees, including Ian Bensted and Andrew Maclean, and certificates were presented to the weary walkers. Thank you so much to everyone who took part – walkers, sponsors and support team. We are absolutely delighted with the record amount raised.

To see a collection of photos from the walk, please visit our Google Drive (where you can also add your own photos of the day, if you have a Google login).

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Seedcorn fundraising turns £225 into £1,060 – increasing the funds for WATSAN by nearly five times!

All Saints Church in Faringdon hosted a slap-up meal in aid of WATSAN in November 2016. In addition to the money raised from ticket sales, chef Max Young had the brilliant idea of a ‘seedcorn’ fundraiser – or “YEAST”.

Each of the 45 people at the feast was given £5 in an envelope and encouraged to use it to generate more funds in whatever way they could think of – for example to buy ingredients for a cake sale. The funds were brought back to the church on Easter Sunday, and a total of £1,060 was raised from the original £225.

Max says: “When it was suggested that I come up with an idea for a small present for each attendee, I thought through a number of ideas – but time, space and skill constraints meant a rapid rethink. My prayers were answered when I remembered hearing of this being done about 20 years ago in another parish. Combining this with the thought of the action of yeast gave me a name for the project to raise funds for WATSAN!”

Thanks Max for your innovative idea, and to the fundraisers for their hard work.

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For the second year running, students at the American International School of Guangzhou, China have completed their own Walk for Water.

The students, in Grade 2 at the school, are taught by Rebecca Twitchin. She and the students, aged 7, are working on a study all about water – how we use it, how our use effects other people around the world, and how we can help people who don’t have enough water. Inspired by their studies, the students have twice completed fundraising walks in aid of WATSAN projects.

In March 2016 Rebecca and her students raised 10,000 Chinese Renminbi, or $1,500. In May 2017 they completed a second walk and raised around $2,000!

Rebecca says: “Our Grade 2 students learn about how water is vital to life on earth and it is limited to many, and we decided to take action again to do what we can for people in need.”

WATSAN is extremely grateful to Rebecca and her students for their initiative and generosity.

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We are delighted that around 50 intrepid walkers have agreed to take part in this year’s big fundraiser, the Walk for Water, which will take place along the Ridgeway and spring-line villages in Oxfordshire from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th June 2017.

Most participants will join us for the whole weekend of this year’s Walk for Water at Court Hill Centre, Letcombe Regis, near Wantage, and a few just for the 24th June, the day of the walk. Walkers who have signed up already should this week have received a letter from us with full logistical details.

There’s still time to sign up for the Walk for Water – please download the leaflet for full details, including a map of the route, and email Ian and Ellie at bensted@easynet.co.uk to sign up.

We do still have a few places available for both the accommodation at Court Hill, as well as the evening meal on the Saturday, which will be prepared by two Cordon Bleu cooks! Friends and family are encouraged to join us, either to walk or as part of the support team, where we would welcome a little more help.

Now is also a good time for walkers to start gaining sponsorship for the walk. This year we are aiming to raise £18,000 in order not only to complete the essential water and sanitation programme planned for Rumbugu School, but also some money to go towards a much-needed replacement vehicle for the team in Uganda.

Download the sponsorship form

In early March 2017, WATSAN trustee Graham Piper visited Rukungiri and caught up with the staff team on the ground, calling on several of the completed and live projects.

Graham, who is a chartered chemical and civil engineer with nearly 40 years of experience in the UK and in Uganda, reports being impressed by a number of very positive things he saw and experienced in Uganda. Graham says: “We were really heartened by the way the NKKD WATSAN team seems to be operating well, as a happy cohesive unit under Eric Baingana‘s direction. Eric shows wisdom and determination in carrying out his duties. We were impressed by the professionalism of some of the staff when we visited, including some of those who had joined the team more recently.

“It was also good to see the way that the three dioceses (North Kigezi, Kinkiizi and Kigezi) were sharing new ideas and best practice, and specifically how they might roll out the ‘Church and Communities Mobilisation Process’,  which was started by the Water Programme in Kigezi Diocese.”

Overall Graham and Philippa visited 20 different locations/projects, encompassing springs, gravity flow schemes, Compassion International Child Development Centres and primary and secondary schools. It was encouraging for Graham to meet the people heading up these groups and see the passion they had for the people and children they were serving.

One outcome of Graham’s visit is that WATSAN’s trustees will be considering how to produce proposals for integrated schemes that aim to provide for sustainability and other community benefits, as well as simply focusing on water and sanitation outputs. This will be raised at the next trustees meeting, to take place in late April.

Find out more about WATSAN’s projects