Sisters of Notre Dame
Uganda Mission Office 1601 Dixie Highway, Covington, KY 41011 (859) 392-8109 | www.sndky.org
Sisters of Notre Dame
PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID CINCINNATI OH PERMIT NO 9714
Covington Province Uganda Mission Office
D R U M B E AT S
D R U M B E AT S
WAT E R I S S U E
WAT E R I S S U E
Dear Partner in Mission, During the past few days, have you... > > > >
enjoyed a refreshing shower? had your morning coffee? thrown clothes in your washer? removed clean dishes from the dishwasher?
> > > >
watered your garden? flushed a toilet? enjoyed a cool drink with plenty of ice? washed your hands?
So what do these “ordinary� events have in common? They are all dependent on water. We turn knobs and handles and this natural resource pours forth for our use, but such is not the case in all parts of the world. In Uganda, wet seasons and dry seasons alternate approximately every three months. When the dry season is prolonged, serious and dire situations arise. Water is not taken for granted; it is a precious gift. Because the last two rainy seasons in Uganda have not lived up to their name, water availability has been on our mind. In fact, one of the water tanks at St. Julie Mission ran dry in mid-July and a second is close behind. They may have to send students home early due to the water shortage. This is not the first time they have faced this. We ask that you will join us in praying for our sisters and students in Uganda, who are doing all they can to conserve this extraordinary resource. Gratefully in our good and provident God,
Students use basins for laundry, bathing, and washing supplies, such as their jerry cans.
Sr. Mary Margaret Droege, SND Director, Uganda Mission Office
Contact Info Sr. Mary Margaret Droege, SND 1601 Dixie Highway, Covington, KY 41011 Email: mmdroege@sndky.org Phone: (859)392-8109
WHERE DOES MISSION WATER COME FROM? The largest percentage of water used at the mission is from rainfall, which is collected in tanks. Some water is collected from a local protected spring situated downhill from the mission. A less reliable source is a borehole near the convent.
Sr. Mary Delrita Glaser and Sr. Margaret Mary Scott at the original water hole in 1995.
HOW MANY USE THE WATER TANKS? Daily, more than 500 people utilize the tanks for drinking, bathing, and cooking. The kitchen at St. Julie uses about 330 liters of water for one meal.
WHAT IS A BOREHOLE? A hole is drilled into the ground until water is reached. The water is then pumped to the surface. The borehole usually yields oily water that can be used for watering plants, not for drinking or bathing.
HOW MANY TANKS ARE AT THE MISSION? Approximately 80 tanks. They are made out of brick, plastic, or concrete.
HOW DOES ONE GET WATER FROM THE SPRING? Sisters and students fill jerry cans from a tap that has been outfitted at the spring. The cans are 10-20 liters and are quite heavy. Imagine carrying five gallons of milk up an unpaved, uneven hill.
WHAT IS THE WATER TEMPERATURE? The temperature straight from the tank ranges from briskly cold to lukewarm (if the sun has shone on the tank throughout the day and little water has been used). Some tanks have
WHEN ARE THE RAINY AND DRY SEASONS? Rainy and dry seasons alternate, each lasting about three months. The seasons have become much more unreliable in recent years.
The water hole is now a protected spring.
HOW MUCH DOES RAIN IMPACT THE MISSION? The growing season at the mission farm and thus many of the students’ meals depend on reliable wet and dry weather.
WHAT ARE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS? Some stoves at the mission rely on biogas. The biogas producer, in turn, relies on water in order to produce gas.
Students are allotted 10 liters of water each day for bathing and laundry. This amount can decrease when water is scarce.
Local families use water from any available source. The water is often unclean. Children usually collect and carry the water home.
Students pumping water from the borehole.
We often pray for rain, but the sisters appreciate dry weather when traveling. The dirt roads can quickly become muddy and impassable. Mission vehicles have been lodged in ditches on several occasions. Sisters have even had to stay with locals due to a shower turning the roads into a muddy parking lot.
solar-heaters attached to help. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE TANKS...TANK? The water tanks are built to withstand extreme weather and heat, but they are not invincible. Several tanks at the mission in Buseesa have burst open. When they burst, it sounds like an explosion. Gallons upon gallons of water rush out of the container. So far, the cause of the bursting tanks has yet to be determined. IS THE WATER SAFE TO DRINK? Yes...once it is treated with chlorine tablets and is filtered.
MISSION MINUTES Sister Therese Marie (right) professed her final vows during a ceremony in Buseesa on July 9, 2016. After her vows, she sang a five-verse song of thanksgiving to all in attendance, which included the bishop of the Hoima Diocese and Sr. Mary Roshini, the Holy Spirit Delegation Superior. Congratulations, Sr. Therese Marie! “If you wouldn’t have been, we wouldn’t be either. Before today, we hadn’t physically met, but spiritually we are always together in prayer.” That was Sr. Mary Juliet from Uganda speaking to Covington Sisters of Notre Dame in May. She was one of nine Ugandan sisters to visit the US provinces this spring. View photos from their visits at sndky.org/newsfeed/tag/uganda. Sister Anita Marie Stacy will be in Kentucky for a home visit from November 2016-January 2017. Another Uganda Mission Maintenance Trip is planned for January 2017. Projects include: screen installation, painting exterior trim, light installation. Two former students will be ordained deacons in August.
HOW TO GIVE
WAT E R FA Q
ONLINE: Securely donate online at www.sndky.weshareonline.org/Uganda Pay by credit/debit card or bank transfer.
BY MAIL: Send contact info and payment to SND Uganda Mission Office, 1601 Dixie Highway, Covington, KY 41011. Checks payable to “Sisters of Notre Dame.” BY PHONE: Call Sr. Mary Margaret Droege at (859)392-8109 to pay by credit card over the phone.