Kikondo, UG – Cold Drinks Here! LBL Family continues their growth with rainwater – Mar 2024

The path of LBL father’s family has moved in many different positive ways since he and his sons started their FAITH garden seven years ago, this one with electricity providing a water sales opportunity in response to climate change heat. The sons have now grown and moved, a new industrious wife who works with the YNM agriculture group now lives with him, and their training enables earning.

From the knowledge and FAITH skills learnt, she started an extension garden in 2021. She grew vegetables like bitterberries and cabbages to sell. Water for growing was a challenge because the distance to the spring is 300 meters and she now has no children to help carry water. She saved vegetable sales earnings with Zinabala Vicoba with a target of having 3 million shillings so that she would be able to install a rainwater harvesting system with a 5,000 liter tank.

Over time, government electricity has reached Kikondo village, and like about 90% of their neighbors, LBL family has been able to pay the connection fee. After installing the water harvesting system this month in time to collect during the last rains of the season, LBL also has joined the 20% of village members able to collect rain.

After installing the system, she managed to purchase a refrigerator. She boils the rainwater which she then cools in the refrigerator and sells to people passing by her home. She is now earning income from sale of cold drinking water. Facing a heat wave, she makes 10,000 shillings every day as profit from sale of 20 liters of cold water. She dreams of improving the roof of her house so that she can collect much water even after a slight downpour of rain. She has started saving for the house and roof improvement.