A Year Later: Ejinga-Ayikoru Community

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to protect a spring for Ejinga-Ayikoru Community in Uganda. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – and we’re excited to share this one from local team member Steven Kwikiriza with you.

The community is happy because clean water is available nearby.

People here used to walk long distances to fetch water, but now water is near their homes, Stephen Afidra told us. This means they can access it any time of the day. Stephen also added that since they now have clean water, water-related diseases have declined. Their children now attend school without anything disturbing them.

The sanitation situation has improved significantly too. Our teams conducted a survey at the start of the project which indicted that 32% of households had sanitation facilities. However, this has now increased to 80% because the community has adapted to the ongoing hygiene and sanitation training.

"We have been taught how to look after our families through construction of sanitary facilities and proper storage of drinking water," one woman told us.

Protection of the spring is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project is committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by donors like you, allows us to maintain our relationships with communities by visiting up to 4 times each year to ensure that the water points are safe and reliable.

This is just one of the many ways that we monitor projects and communicate with you. Additionally, you can always check the functionality status and our project map to see how all of our water points are performing, based on our consistent monitoring data.

One project is just a drop in the bucket towards ending the global water crisis, but the ripple effects of this project are truly astounding. This project in Ejinga-Ayikoru Community is changing many lives.

Another example of positive change is in the life of 16-year-old Alfred Sande. He told us  that before the spring protection, he used to wash his school uniform with dirty water that stained the fabric. He is now is happy because he uses clean water to wash his clothes and they stay clean.

This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, our local teams, the community, and you. We are excited to stay in touch with this community and support their journey with safe water.

Read more about The Water Promise and how you can help.