Priscilla wanted to work in healthcare her entire life.
"It was a passion and a childhood aspiration," she says.
Priscilla works at a health center in Kamwenge District, Uganda. She is the nurse in charge of the clinic and is responsible for ensuring any community members who need health services can receive them. When Priscilla started working at the clinic, there was no access to reliable and safe water, which made caring for patients very challenging.
"The major challenge was water insecurity," explains Priscilla.
Priscilla said if a woman came to the clinic to deliver a baby at night, it could be challenging, or even impossible, to find clean water. In addition to this insecurity, Priscilla said she saw a high number of typhoid cases.
Without sufficient water, staff and patients couldn’t drink safe water, wash hands, or clean the facility. All of this contributed to higher rates of infection.
Together with Kamwenge District, Water For People built a piped water system that extended reliable water service to Priscilla’s clinic. She says it has completely changed the level of care they can provide.
"With water available, patients’ hygiene has improved," Priscilla shares. "This in turn has led to improvement in community hygiene, preventing the spread of infections."
Her staff and all the community members are excited and appreciative of the new water system and the hygiene education that they’ve received. Priscilla is happy that safe water is enabling her to fulfill her childhood dream of contributing to the health of her community.
