The village of Sunga in southwestern Uganda, East Africa.

A woman heads out with a jerry can.

She's going to a pond at the village outskirts for water.

It's a 20-minute walk each way.

Finally, she arrives.

The water here is vital to daily life: it's used for cooking and laundry.

It's hard coming here for water.

After it rains, the path is slippery
and hard to walk on.

And for the journey back, she must bear the weight of the water.

Sometimes the water is unclean, and causes illness.

There's actually a well in the center of the village.

But eight months ago, the hand pump broke.

Why hasn't it been repaired?

We don't have money to fix the well.

We can't afford it.

Many villages in Uganda have abandoned wells, because they can't afford to repair them.

The problem lies with collecting water user fees.

The money would be used for repairs, but collection is difficult.

There's a flat fee regardless of how much you use.

Those who don't pay still have access to the water, which leads to arguments.

Families vary in size.
I'm a family of two.

I pay of course, but I'm annoyed
it's the same fee as others.

It's not fair that some people
can use the well without paying.

A start-up is tackling these issues with a sustainable system for well use.

Tsuboi Aya from Japan and two Ugandan engineers set it up in 2020.

They saw that mobile phones have become more common in rural villages.

Their system adds a unit which reads an ID tag.

Residents can collect the volume of water they pay for with their phones.

It brings fairness and reliability to fee collection.

It's such a waste that wells
are dug and abandoned.

Often after only a few years.

We want to fix that, and work towards
solving Africa's water problems at large.

Let's meet the Japanese-Ugandan team helping to make well use sustainable.

The capital of Uganda, Kampala.

Uganda is considered one of the least developed countries, but in recent years, it's maintained around a 5 percent economic growth rate.

Still, over 80 percent of the population live in farming villages with no infrastructure for water or electricity.

Nsangi is a town on the outskirts of Kampala.

It's the home of Tsuboi's company, which is trying to fix the well problem.

The core members are founder and CEO Tsuboi Aya,

co-founder and mechanical engineer Kasozi Samson,

and co-founder and software and electronics engineer Ssebina Abdusalam.

The three have been putting much effort into a new fee collection system for wells.

They're from different fields, with
different strengths and personalities.

It takes a lot of discussion
to come to an agreement.

But we all want to make good choices
on the way to our goal.

We are brainstorming, and also want to understand what we have achieved and how it can impact on our progress.

We discuss, all of us, how it is going to be and then maybe Aya-san guides us, so all of us are bringing our thoughts.

The units that regulate the wells are being built at the workshop.

Hi-tech components will go into these metal boxes.

The team has installed their units on 150 wells around Uganda.

So how does the unit they developed work?

We visited a village which has had one for two years.

This is Kiryamakobe, in the Mubende District.

It's a farming village with 700 residents.

This well has our device.

We attached our unit to
a preexisting hand-pump.

We distributed ID tags
to each household.

They use mobile money
to charge water to their tag.

Let's take a look at what's inside.

The unit contains a flow meter, valve, and circuit board.

Most of the time the tap is locked.

Residents charge their ID tag using mobile money.

They insert the tag into the unit, unlocking the well.

They can pump as much water as they paid for.

The unit's power comes from a solar panel and battery.

Tsuboi's system sends the collected fees to a regional water management center.

It can then be used to pay for repairs.

It's a fair system, where everyone pays for what they use.

It also means there's no need to physically collect any fees.

Those without phones can pay cash at the village store to charge their tag.

Those who don't have the means to pay the fees can apply at the service center, and charge their tag for free.

Villagers used to collect water from a pond on the village outskirts, because their pump was broken.

Installing the unit meant fees would be collected, so they were able to go ahead and repair the well.

The ID tag charging system is great.

We just pay for what we use.

Those who refused to pay before
thought collectors skimmed money.

They're happy with the new system.

Now we have clean water again.

We all know it's safe to drink.

This man is the caretaker of the village's well.

Before the unit was attached, he struggled to collect fees.

At one point we couldn't
use the well for a year.

I tried to collect money for repairs
but it wasn't enough.

Now I just need to make
a call and they come to fix it.

After coming from Japan, Tsuboi started tackling this problem affecting Uganda's wells.

She previously conducted data analysis for a major electronics manufacturer.

In 2018 she joined a government volunteer program for overseas aid, and was sent to Uganda.

She worked in an office which managed rural water supplies.

That's where she learned about the difficulties with fee collection, and all the abandoned wells across the land.

She discussed directly with villagers to try and find a solution.

A lot of people felt the flat
monthly fee was unfair.

They wanted to pay per jerry can.

Fee collection was tough too.

In hearings, people had concerns
about how the money was managed.

So why not use mobile payments?

With pay-as-you-go,
it seemed like a great solution.

I hammered out the current system
in small steps.

When it was time to put her ideas into action, Tsuboi began looking for Ugandan engineers.

That's when she met Samson.

I got contact, Samson's contact, from my friend.

And I told him what I saw in the village, the issues of hand-pump maintainance.

I want to do something new, to try something new.

We started prototyping.

He has a big passion, so he always encourages me to break through the issues we face all the time.

Later, systems engineer Abdusalam, who is a friend of Samson, joined the team.

A prototype was completed while Tsuboi was still on her volunteering program.

She decided that the only way to truly develop and promote the units was to start a company.

After leaving the volunteering program in 2020, that's exactly what she did.

Samson and Abdusalam joined as co-founders.

Their workshop is actually part of Samson's home.

Samson majored in automatic and power engineering.

He also learned 3D design and metalworking, and developed various products as a mechanical engineer.

He opened a workshop at home, which became the perfect base for the firm.

I want to help the society through my talent in the problems they are facing.

Let's say the water problem; so my future goal is solving all the problems in the society, in the community, related to water.

Abdusalam, also an engineer, has a workspace at his home as well.

He studied software engineering at a top Ugandan university, and has been involved in many electronics projects.

He developed the programming for the pump control unit, and handles the electronics.

It was Samson who came to me, and he asked me to join at an earlier stage.

And I resisted because it was about boreholes, and I didn't see technology there.

But when he explained to me what they are trying to do with boreholes, I somehow got moved, I thought maybe it's interesting.

But I'm just here to help.

At the moment I am very, very proud of how far we've reached, and also about encouraging young people.

'Cause when they come to learn that this technology is designed by Ugandans, that is also designed locally, they feel like things are possible.

The team has set up units in 150 villages, and improved them along the way.

Now their sights are set on the next stage, covering the tens of thousands of wells all across Uganda.

Now we have to design something
that can be mass produced.

That requires us to step things up.

Mass production means they must minimize the number of potential errors.

Their discussion today focuses on measuring water flow.

Actually it is the particles coming on this metal, this magnet; and it will work and cause an accurate reading.

'Cause this one introduces friction on the walls.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

And with this kind of situation, that's why the meters are failing with the accuracy after a few months of installation.

So is it happening on all the units?

Yeah, because they're using the same meter, right?

Yeah, but I think it depends on the borehole; the water quality is different, or the amount of iron particles.

So, we need a solution that is global for everywhere.

Unlike their handmade units, mass-produced items must be easy to manufacture with consistent quality.

One of the biggest issues that I think we have is going to be

transferring the knowledg we have about machines to other people, how to use them for mass production.

The water management office of Mubende District in southwestern Uganda.

It's home to the service center which collects fees for the hand pump wells and manages repairs.

Tsuboi's team and the center spread word about the control unit together.

- Hello, good morning!
- Hello, Aya-san, you're most welcome!

- Thank you, how are you, very well?
- Fine, how are you?

Today they're meeting to discuss how to expand their activities.

The center is in the red, because of the difficulty in collecting fees.

The pump control unit is a major boost for them.

At the moment, the cost of the unit and installation fees are covered by aid organizations like JICA, as well as NGOs.

But covering all the country's wells will require national funding.

This means showing proven results.

So now we are trying to develop the self-sustained O&M system.

So it means the service center should be self-sustained.

Our collection is still small.

I think, as our first step, we can analyze our collection amount by community, every month maybe.

There's a key problem which the current units must contend with.

This ends up lowering the revenue for the service center.

Hmm, the challenge that we have mainly faced is the one of vandalism.

There are people doing malicious things, maybe when they want to steal batteries or solar panels.

That is, I think, the only setback at the moment.

Today Tsuboi and members of the service center are visiting Nkandwa B village in Mubende.

The village well doesn't have one of Tsuboi's units yet.

There are issues with collecting fees and paying for repairs.

If the pump were to break down, it would be difficult to fix.

Today they're holding a meeting to discuss installing a unit for the well.

They gather in a shaded area beside the church.

The well caretaker put out the word, and around 50 villagers are here to listen.

The old payment system
was difficult for everyone.

We're here to explain a new system.

This tag is a key to the well.

If there's money on it,
it will unlock the well.

You can pump as much water
as you paid for with your phone.

The residents are very interested in the new system.

The well is a vital part of their daily lives.

They listen intently.

They also have questions.

Will the tag say how much water
we still have access to?

If the unit lights up orange
when you put the tag in,

that means you have ten or less
jerry cans of water left.

She goes on to explain a vital issue.

The biggest issue with
this system is thieves.

It has a battery and solar panel.

Many have been stolen, which stops
villagers from pumping water.

We have to watch out for this.

The well isn't close to our home.

If thieves recognize the value of
these items, won't they be taken?

How do we stop a thief at 2 AM
when the well isn't close by?

Another member of the team responds.

I understand your concerns, but
think of it like your fields or cows.

You can keep an eye on them
without sleeping there overnight.

Think of this shared unit
as your own.

If you all take responsibility,
it will be fine.

If each villager remains on the lookout for suspicious visitors, it's a good first step to preventing theft.

Finally the team asks the residents to make a decision.

We'll take a show of hands to vote
on whether you want the system.

If you do, please raise your hands.

The vast majority are in favor, so the unit will be installed.

It's a great system.

Payments will be much smoother
than before.

The new system will let us
save up for repairs.

It's great to know we can
always access clean water.

The company workshop lies on the outskirts of Kampala.

Today they're holding a meeting with all the staff: field engineers, marketing, PR.

It's eleven people, including those taking part remotely.

We want to shift into another phase for expansion.

We are also arranging for further developments in our work.

As they begin to mass-produce units and work all over Uganda, a focus on manufacturing won't be enough.

They need to scale up their customer service and maintenance teams.

The discussion goes on for three hours.

After, they all eat together in the garden.

Samson's mother has prepared a stew of grilled chicken for everyone.

It's a social meal.

Everyone understands the importance of the units for collecting water fees, and is excited about the company's future.

The part that makes me feel that I love this is the innovation.

In my childhood I didn't think of working at such a top level.

I am also much interested in the technology that SUNDA does and I love.

So it feels good to be part of a growing company, especially as a young person.

It's a wonderful team.

We've done so much
since we started.

I think we've grown together.

I hope that continues as we expand.

The next day Tsuboi, Samson, and Abdusalam all head towards Mityana District.

Residents have asked them to install the unit on a well used by 400 households.

They unload the latest improved model.

The battery is now placed inside the unit to deter theft.

The hand pump is briefly removed, and the unit is installed.

Once the pump is restored, the valve and flow meter are adjusted.

They check whether the unit lights up when an ID tag is inserted.

The box is sealed up, and the installation is complete.

Villagers come by at once to collect water.

A tag is placed inside, and the pump begins to put out water.

This will help soothe worries about paying for maintenance.

Tsuboi is eager to see the units installed on every well in Uganda.

And she's looking even beyond that.

Other African countries are
having the same issues.

Whether they use hand pumps,
electric pumps, or a pipe system.

I'd like to tweak our approach to
tackle such issues as soon as we can.

A collaboration between Tsuboi, Samson, and Abdusalam has led to a sustainable well management system.

Providing reliable access to clean and safe water is also part of a viable business model.

The team is just getting started in their journey towards solving Africa's water problems.