"I was the only girl in my family and I felt my dad cared for the boys more. My school fee was prioritized last and so I couldn’t go to high school until my cousin offered to sponsor me. She died in 2005 in a car accident and so not only was I profoundly sad but my hope to go to college was dimmed. I wanted to be a civil engineer and build things. Back then my father and seven brothers wanted me to get married immediately after high school. But I wanted to go to college and so my mother sold off the only piece of land she had and I was able to afford tuition for college where I got my diploma in civil engineering. I majored in brick laying and we came up with a way of making curved bricks from locally sourced materials. My work experience with different community organizations in East Africa exposed me to Biosand Filter technology and I learned how to make the filters.These skills have helped us come up with solutions in my community and communities like mine. With the grant Global Greengrants, we had the resources to train women on how to make curved bricks and we had materials to construct tanks in schools so children stay in school and do not have to walk long distances in search of water. " Godliver Businge, Global Women's Water Initiative's Head Technology Trainer.
Photos by Joel Lukhovi | Survival Media Agency