They Flush Because They Can
Hi, we are Leah and Abby and we are 13 and 10. We started this fundraiser 2 years ago with the goal of raising enough money for a new well, health clinic and counseling building, and flushing toilets at the Lukome Center in northern Uganda.
New well, check
Health clinic, check
Toilets, not yet
For the past 15 years, the staff and the students have used composting toilets. They are in bad shape and need to be replaced. Not only are they old but they are not composting well anymore. So every 2 months someone has to climb in and dig out all the waste. Using them would be a great adventure when you are camping for a night or two, but they are smelly and
generally gross to use every day in a place where temperatures often reach 100 degrees. Can you imagine? We can because we used them, and it is no fun. They also only have 8 working toilets for as many as 100 staff, students, kids and visitors.
We have an audacious goal of increasing our fundraising target to a total of $75,000 dollars to replace all the existing toilets with more sanitary ones. Improving sanitation will further our mission to help provide clean, plentiful water and better physical and mental health for the students.
People say that kids these days only think about themselves. We would like to prove them wrong, but we need your help. We are just little girls, but we know that with the help of friends we can accomplish a lot. We are asking all girls and boys from zero to ninety-nine to partner with us in our “they flush because they can” campaign. As Desmond Tutu said, “Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
No amount is too small. Every little bit helps, and we know that together we can do it.
THANK YOU!
Update on the well and clinic:
First and foremost, we would like to say a HUGE thank you to all of you who have supported our first two parts of this project, the well and clinic. They are built and serving the students and staff well. We went back to the Lukome Center in May 2022 and were thrilled to see that the new well is drilled and working and the office building that will house the health clinic and counseling office is finished.
The addition of the well has also allowed for an upgraded kitchen. What used to be an area with dirt floor, two charcoal stoves, and a table all fully exposed to the elements now has walls, a concrete floor, a counter, and best of all a sink with running water. It is beautiful, and the staff and students are thrilled! What we did not know when we started this project is that the addition of the office building will free up several huts and will allow for 12 more students to join the program! We also did not know that the clinic would have an impact on the wider community. While we were visiting, a team of doctors from the US was able to use the space to provide health care to 991 community members. Many of those people are living in extreme poverty and had not seen a doctor in years. None of this could have happened without you.
WE CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH!!!!!!!!
P.S. Note from Mike and Sandy, Leah and Abby’s parents. If you would like more information about ChildVoice and their programs and to read more detailed accounts about the girls at the Lukome Center please go to www.childvoice.org