Rehabilitation Project
This is a project that we did in cooperation with Attack Poverty. Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...
Community Details
In the community of Kashongi Central, Uganda, their burdens have been alleviated. They have transformed from a 94 household community with an unsafe surface water supply, causing illnesses such as dysentery, malaria, typhoid and respiratory infections, to a community ready and anxious to use the new, safe water source and build on that with proper well maintenance and community hygiene practices. As an example of their commitment and enthusiasm, the village participated in the efforts of completing the well. They provided materials, food, security and labor. Additionally, they built Tippy Tap systems for household use and new sanitation facilities to eliminate the practice of open defecation. The community was given the knowledge and tools needed to maintain the well, which they committed to do, and to maintain higher levels of sanitation practices.
In addition to the efforts of sustainable water and hygiene, the Living Water team created a system of sustainable gospel proclamation. There were 15 individuals trained in Bible storytelling (Orality), which will allow them to share the fundamental elements of the gospel with their neighbors and have to Word of God spread throughout the community. Additionally, the local pastor, the Living Water community contact, and local church leaders were given lessons on thematic Bible stories so that they can become an integral part of meeting their communities’ physical, social and spiritual needs.
With a Water Committee of 10 individuals, a group of orality-trained church leaders, and structures and systems to promote maintenance of the well this community has been set on a path that will enable them to thrive for years to come!
Hygiene Promotion
In order to maximize the positive effects of a new well, Living Water always couples water projects with hygiene and sanitation education. In the Kashongi community of Ugnada, hygiene and sanitation were taught using the Community Led Total Sanitation method (CLTS). Through this method, the Hygiene Promotion team conducted a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) baseline survey as well as feedback meetings to determine the hygiene and sanitation needs.
As a result of the information gathered through the initial community research, the community created a Tippy Tap system for each household. Tippy Taps help with both water conservation and improve hygiene. In addition to this, sanitation facilities were constructed to end the practice of open defecation, which were pit latrines with no slab.
The 46 people who attended the training were assigned as community health workers (CHW's) These CHWs then passed on the information from the training to the other community members (234 total). As a result, the community became very engaged in the Living Water hygiene promotion activities. Using community health strategy approach, community structures such as Village Health Teams (VHTs), health assistants and cluster heads were trained in a hygiene promotion approach which integrates Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation (PHAST) and clustering system, taking into consideration the strength of each approach to reinforce the hygiene promotion work. These community health promotion structures are being equipped with CLTS tools like community mapping, transect walk, and health costing methods to trigger communities into taking collective actions to eliminate open defecations in their communities. Verification visits by the HP team, community health promotion structures and the Sub-County staff shows significant improvement in hygiene and sanitation practices in this community.
Community Member Interview
A local subsistence farmer, 45-year-old Kobuttii Manada stated, "Access to clean, safe water has been a problem for a long time in this community. The local government once set up a shallow well, but it dried up shortly after. This new well will solve our problem!"
