Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 750 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2022

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/19/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

The terrain around Kyandangi is gently sloping and covered with maize and sugarcane plantations. The main livelihood in the area is farming.

It is a unique community because of the diversity of tribes of Banyoro, Lugbaras, Alurs, and Basoga people that live together. This diversity has led to several intermarriages and, as a result, a more unified community.


The community's one water source serves over a hundred and fifty households of nearly a thousand people. This borehole has worn out pump parts leading to frequent breakdowns. It is also open to contamination as runoff uphill directs itself towards the well, and there is an open soak pit where animals gather to drink.

There is a huge gap in access to enough clean and safe drinking water when this borehole is nonfunctional. We need to restore the borehole so clean water can continue to flow. We will also improve on the sanitation situation around the water point to make sure it stays clean and safe for drinking.

"I am a farmer. Traditionally, it's the role of women to fetch water, but due to the long distances they have to walk to collect water, they end up preparing lunch very late, and output is reduced in the gardens. Due to the long queues and frequent breakdowns at the borehole, we resort to using dam water which is dirty and shared with animals and, above all, not fit for drinking. This keeps us very thirsty while in the gardens and affects our concentration," commented Zakayo Apiyah.

"I am always woken up very early in the morning by my mother and told to clean the compound after which I go to collect water at the borehole which is nearer our home compared to the ones in the next village. The water is used to wash utensils and prepare breakfast before we go to the garden. When the borehole is down, we use dam water where the owner of the dam always chases us away because he says it is meant for his cows," said Harriet, a 10-year-old girl.

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, rubbish pit, and 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 not only unhealthy but 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 is able to live a healthy life free of preventable diseases. We endeavor that at the end of our presence in the community, people will have both access to sustainable, clean water and access to sanitation. We have now organized families to form digging groups for latrine construction, and empowered them with tools they will need.

Project Updates


February, 2022: Kyandangi Well Rehabilitation Complete!

A well rehabilitated in Kyandangi, Uganda is already providing community members with clean, safe water! 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.

Paul D., 14, said, "I'm going to be able to collect enough water for drinking, washing my casual clothes, and bathing in time as compared to before since the distance to the water source has been reduced."

Now Paul plans to spend most of his time in the garden so he can make money to buy his clothes and scholastic materials. This will also help him support his mother in buying things like salt and sugar.

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.

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.

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 water from surface-level contaminants.

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.

"Now that this borehole has been rehabilitated, there is going to be reduced expenditure since we shall be drinking clean water now," said Jane.

When Jane was asked how access to reliable safe water would impact her life, she commented that the time she used to spend waiting at the water point and at the hospital due to water-related illnesses will now be used for productive work in the garden.

Training

Our 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.

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 to contribute to each meeting 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.

Additional training sessions focused on hygiene and sanitation at the personal, household, community, and environmental levels. In collaboration with the community facilitator and local leaders, we trained 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 led 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.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




January, 2022: Kyandangi Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in the Kyandangi community drains people’s time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




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: "I managed to pass my exams!"

February, 2023

A year ago, your generous donation helped Kyandangi Community in Uganda access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Hellen. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Kyandangi Community.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kyandangi Community 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!

The well in Kyandangi used to be overworked, and the mechanism would break, stranding almost 1,000 people in the surrounding communities without any nearby source of water.

"Before this project was completed, there were frequent breakdowns, and this forced us to move long distances to other water points where we would also be denied water since we were not members of the community," said 13-year-old Hellen.

But since we repaired the well last year, it has been functional ever since, lightening the burden on water-fetchers all over the community.

"The long distance has now been reduced, and we are able to collect water at any time, which gives me ample time to concentrate on my studies and also support my parents," Hellen said.

This new free time has allowed Hellen to have spare time and use it to further her own goals for her future.

"[I] am very grateful that, with the rehabilitation of this water point, I managed to pass my primary [school] exams because I had enough time to concentrate on my books," Hellen said.

Hellen beside 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 Kyandangi Community 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 Kyandangi Community – 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.


Contributors

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