Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 350 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Aug 2022

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/12/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

The land in this area is gently sloping with undulating plains, mainly covered with food crops and sugarcane plantations.

The most common livelihood is farming, although some youth engage in bricklaying. The community hosts a weekly market which is a food basket for the whole district. Most households have trees planted after being trained on the importance of fruit trees for nutrition and other trees for environmental conservation.

Kisalizi Primary School is a community school founded through the church's support that provided the land where the school currently sits. In 1979, the government took over its management to improve the infrastructure.

The borehole at the school needing rehab serves a large population of one thousand, including the school and nearby community members. All the pump parts are worn out, leading to frequent breakdowns. The platform has cracks, and the environment is not well maintained, exposing this water point to contamination due to seepage. This project will mean children will fetch water on their school campus without interrupting their lessons during class hours.

The headteacher commented, "When the borehole has mechanical issues, the pupils have to move long distances to look for water. There are long queuing times at the water points, which affects our lessons. At times pupils are stopped from going for water, thus impacting the hygiene and sanitation practices of the school and the pupils."

The people in the community, especially women, come to the well to collect water before the student's break and lunchtimes because that's when the pupils are still attending classes. In the evening, when the children get home from school, parents send them back to the well to fetch water. Once the borehole at the school is repaired, it will function consistently for students.

Due to the number of people in the area accessing water, this rehab will help relieve some pressure from the other community water sources.

Here’s what we’re going to do about it:

Rehabilitated Well

We are going to restore water to the broken-down borehole. Since this water point is located at the center of the village and easily accessible by the majority of people, unlike the springs which are located at the far ends of the village, when this borehole is restored to its original status, it will provide the community with easy access to clean and safe water. We will remove the old pump, clear out the well, reinstall a new stainless steel pump, and build a new well pad to protect the water.

Training

Training’s main objectives are the use of latrines and observing proper hygiene practices since these goals are inherently connected to the provision of clean water. Open defecation, water storage in unclean containers, and the absence of handwashing are all possible contaminants of a household water supply. Each participating village must achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by 1 latrine per household) before the pump installation for a shallow hand-dug well.

This social program includes the assignment of 1 Community Development Officer (CDO) to each village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes a latrine, handwashing facility, a separate structure for animals, a rubbish pit, and a drying rack for dishes.

We also implement the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach with each of our village partners. This aims to improve the sanitation and hygiene practices and behaviors of a village. During these sessions, village leaders naturally emerge and push the community to realize that the current practices of individual households – particularly the practice of open defecation – are unhealthy and affect the entire village. CLTS facilitates a process in which community members realize the negative consequences of their current water, sanitation, and hygiene behaviors and are inspired to take action. Group interactions are frequent motivators for individual households to build latrines, use the latrines, and demand that other households do the same.

Improved Sanitation

The aim is that all households own an improved latrine. Many households do not use a latrine but use the bush. Due to open defecation, feces are spread all over the village. This leads to waterborne diseases and contamination of groundwater and surface water. Our aim is that the community can live a healthy life free of preventable diseases. We endeavor that people will have both access to sustainable, clean water and access to sanitation at the end of our presence in the community. We have now organized families to form digging groups for latrine construction and empowered them with the tools they will need.

Project Updates


August, 2022: Kisalizi Primary School Well Rehabilitation Complete!

A well rehabilitated at Kisalizi Primary School in Uganda is already providing students and community members with clean, safe water! There was a delay in reporting, but we are happy to share the news now!

Children getting a drink.

Additionally, we hosted a training where community members worked together to make a development action plan for their area. As a result, families are working to build new sanitation and hygiene facilities, tools, and habits that will help improve their living standards and enable a healthier life.

"Since this borehole is within the school compound, we will not be walking long distances to access drinking water from other sources, which wastes a lot of our time and sometimes [we] end up missing some lessons," said 9-year-old student Love. "The hygiene and sanitation of my friends is also most likely to improve."

Love pumping water.

Rehabilitated Borehole Well

We worked with the community to determine the best possible site for this rehabilitation. After meetings and visits throughout the community, together we agreed that this borehole was the best option to work on.

Enid Atuhura operates a salon at nearby Kimigi Trading Centre and says without water, her business is paralyzed. So now, with access to water from the community well at the school, her daily income will increase.

Enid pumping water.

"Since I receive so many people at my salon, [I am] going to ensure that there is always water in the handwashing facility. [This will] ensure people wash their hands before accessing my salon to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and [reduce] the risk of me contracting the disease and transmitting it to my family."

Flushing the old well.

Throughout the construction process, several households volunteered to host the drilling technicians, giving them a place to sleep and food to eat throughout their stay.

Demolishing the old platform.

The work team pulled up the old pump, cleared out the well, reinstalled a new stainless steel pump, and built a new well pad to once again seal off the well from surface-level contaminants.

Installing the new pump.

We conducted a yield test and checked the water’s quality to ensure the well’s ease of access and safety. With great results, we handed over the rehabilitated well to the community. The well is already providing safe, reliable water for the community’s daily use.

Completed well.

Training

The self-help group associated with the project was set up and began training in advance of selecting this project.

The first training session focused on financial planning. We mobilized the community through a series of meetings that sensitized them on the importance and purpose of saving. This included meetings dedicated to creating a community profile, where participants map the physical environment and stakeholders in their own community. We also ran a participatory vulnerability capacity assessment exercise. In this session, community members mapped out their shared risks and opportunities, including the water point breaking down.

Participants learning. This is a representative photo from a similar Self-Help Group training in Uganda.

Next, we scheduled the savings group training date with the community. We planned for a one-day training to form the savings group and discuss the best practices for maintaining and managing it.

We worked with the community to establish a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and a water user committee. The savings group set up a fund to provide small loans to each other and another fund they will use to pay for any repairs to the well if an issue arises. The group also agreed on a social fund that will provide grants to fellow group members and help them with funeral expenses or catastrophes such as fire damage. Our teams will provide follow-up training to support putting the savings group into practice while also offering continuous coaching in records management.

Participant engagement is key. This is a representative photo from a similar Self-Help Group training in Uganda.

Additional training sessions will happen in the near future focused on hygiene and sanitation at the personal, household, community, and environmental levels. In collaboration with the community facilitator and local leaders, we will train households on critical hygiene and sanitation facilities to build. These include latrines, dish racks, refuse pits, handwashing facilities, and bathing shelters. Our teams monitor these facilities’ construction while helping the community learn how to best use and care for them.

Finally, we will lead an additional training for local artisans to teach them how to fabricate and sell locally used and accepted sanitation products that allow for more hygienic and accessible latrines.

Just as with the financial training, we will continue to support the community in their sanitation and hygiene progress through monitoring visits. In addition, we will offer follow-up assistance and refresher training to ensure community members follow through in building their new facilities and developing new habits.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members themselves. When an issue arises concerning the well, the group members are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact their local field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.

With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!

Thank you for making all of this possible!




Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


A Year Later: Family Economics Improved!

August, 2023

A year ago, your generous donation helped Kisalizi Primary School in Uganda access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Evans. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Kisalizi Primary School.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kisalizi Primary School maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

Evans K., 10, recalled what life was like at Kisalizi Primary School before his school’s well was installed last year.

"We used to walk very long distances to collect water from other water sources each time our borehole broke down, and this would make us to over delay causing my parents to beat us while back at home," said Evans.

But now life is much better for Evans, the other students, and the community members living near Kisalizi Primary School.

"The water is very easy to pump and nearer to home. I can get water at any time I want, and this has impacted a lot on my personal hygiene since I wash my clothes and bathe regularly," Evans said.

Having ready access to water from the well has made a difference for Evans and his entire family, allowing them to increase animal production and income generation.

"I have been helping my parents to collect water for our animals like pigs and chickens, and these days people come and buy from our home, which has highly improved the economic situation of our family," concluded Evans.

Thank you for helping Evans and his family access clean water and improve their daily living situation.

Right now, there are others just like him in neighboring communities that desperately need safe water access. Your support will immediately go to work to provide a clean water project - and we can’t wait to introduce you to the next person you’ll help.

Evans near the well.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kisalizi Primary School maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Kisalizi Primary School – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


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