When we started Drop in the Bucket, our initial thought was if we give villages water wells, then that alone would fix everything. It did not take us long to realize that providing water alone only solves part of the problem. The only way to affect real change would be to implement a system that addresses several issues. More importanly, it would impart that water, sanitation and hygiene all go hand in hand. To be most effective, we would need to design a system that was easy to install, cost effective and would require very little maintenance.

Step one was to install a well with a modified hand pump that would send part of the water into a container and the rest into a reservoir tank. Step two was to attach a roundabout pump to the reservoir tank. This would now pump water to a hand washing station and two sets of flushing toilets when the children would play on the roundabout. Step three, the toilets are attached to a delayed septic system. Over a period of 28 days, the sewage is broken down to safe, 100% pathogen-free, 85% pure water.

The entire system is completely self-sustaining and requires very little maintenance. Unlike the pit latrines that are common in Africa, it will never fill up. The photos shown here are from the Lira Secondary School in Lira, Uganda. None of this would have been possible without the hard work, dedication and insight of our good friends Bill McKay and Hunter Beattie, the true visionaries behind all of this.