This Mother’s Day, we’re reflecting on what it means to be a mother facing impossible choices—doing whatever it takes to care for your children. Ester, a mother of eight in rural Uganda, knows that kind of pressure all too well.
For years, every day began the same. Ester would wake early and set out on a long, grueling walk for nearly two hours to collect dirty water from an open, unprotected source. She lives with a physical disability making it difficult to walk, and the journey was beyond exhausting, it was painful. But she had no other option. Her family needed water, and she did what she could to provide it.
The water she worked so hard to collect wasn’t safe. Her children were often sick with typhoid, diarrhea, and constant fevers – resulting in frequent, sometimes very serious, hospital stays. They missed weeks of school. Any extra income the family had went toward medicine for these illnesses, leaving little for food or anything else. Every day was a struggle for survival.
Then, in 2024, everything changed. Water for Good installed a safe, clean water point in Ester’s community just minutes from her home. It was a turning point for her family’s story.
With her newfound time, Ester began building a different kind of life. She opened a small shop operating out of her home, and she started a business raising goats and chickens for sale, and began contributing to the household income. Her children, now healthy, are back in school and household has more economic stability. For the first time in years, the future feels possible!
There are so many mothers like Ester who are strong, determined, and ready to create a better life for their children – if they just have the tools to do it. That’s why your ongoing support matters.
By becoming a monthly donor, you make it possible for more moms to access clean water—and everything it unlocks. Steady, reliable giving helps Water for Good plan ahead, respond to needs quickly, and walk alongside families so they have safe, clean water, hygiene and sanitation for generations to come. Giving monthly is one of the most impactful ways to invest in lasting change.
Click here to learn about becoming a monthly donor.
