Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 160 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2017

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 10/11/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This hand-dug well will be installed in Kibyama-Titi Community of Kiryandongo, Uganda. At this stage of the project, GPS coordinates are an estimate.

Kibyama-Titi is home to 160 people from 32 different households, all who rely on contaminated surface water for their daily needs.

The majority of community members rely solely on farming to provide their daily bread. Crops grown are mainly for household consumption, while any leftovers are sold to raise money for other domestic needs. Men and women wake up very early to attend their farms before the sun is high in the sky; it is much too hot to work out in the open during the afternoon. When it's too hot, women return home to do household chores and men head to the trading center to grab a drink with their friends.

Water Situation

Water pools in a swampy area nearby the community. The surface is visibly contaminated with algae, soil and waste that give the water a murky color. Animals come and go as they please, sharing the same source with their human neighbors. During our first visit, there was animal poop right next to the water! Garbage, fertilizers, and feces wash down into the water when it rains.

Women and children are most responsible for getting the water their families need. They kneel down and dunk a plastic container until it is full, which is lugged back home where it is stored until it needs to be filled again.

After drinking this water, locals suffer from waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera. It's no wonder that with these conditions, children and the elderly often suffer from diarrhea. We heard a report of this from Mr. Kabiri Rogers, who says that "currently there is a lot of malaria, cough, flu and diarrhea among children."

Sanitation Situation

No more than half of households have their own pit latrine, while those that do haven't even built walls. As we begin to construct the hand-dug well, we will emphasize the importance of well-built latrines. Without good facilities, locals are forced to seek the privacy of bushes. When sanitation isn't a priority, the safety of water cannot be ensured even when it's from a water well, and it definitely doesn't stay clean at the household level.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation 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 hand-washing are all possible contaminants of a household water supply. Each participating village must achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by one latrine per household), prior to the pump installation for a shallow hand-dug well.

This social program includes the assignment of one Community Development Officer (CDO) to each village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes: a latrine, hand-washing 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 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.

Plans: Hand-Dug Well

The community will participate in excavating and constructing the water source. In the meantime, 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 to use.

Actual well construction will take four to six weeks if there are no challenges. The well will be lined with bricks and sealing clay, and finished with a Consallen pump.

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Kibyama-Titi Community

A year ago, generous donors helped install a well with Kibyama-Titi Community in Uganda. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partners, Geoffrey Kusemererwa and Abu Evaline with you.




Project Photos


Project Type

Hand-dug wells have been an important source of water throughout human history! Now, we have so many different types of water sources, but hand-dug wells still have their place. Hand dug wells are not as deep as borehole wells, and work best in areas where there is a ready supply of water just under the surface of the ground, such as next to a mature sand dam. Our artisans dig down through the layers of the ground and then line the hole with bricks, stone, or concrete, which prevent contamination and collapse. Then, back up at surface level, we install a well platform and a hand pump so people can draw up the water easily.


A Year Later: Kibyama-Titi Community

December, 2017

There are reduced cases of diseases like diarrhea. I would hear of an average 20 cases per month of children under five suffering from diarrhea as a result of water-related difficulties. But after the construction of this well, I’ve received very few cases.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kibyama-Titi 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!

A year ago, generous donors helped install a well with Kibyama-Titi Community in Uganda. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partners, Geoffrey Kusemererwa and Abu Evaline with you.


Kibyama-Titi Village in Kiryandongo District became Open Defecation Free (ODF) with 100% latrine coverage on October 13, 2016.

The community members are very grateful for their new well since the government well they had before was washed away in a flooded swamp. That  well had been sited deep in the swamp and when heavy rains came, it was swallowed. This forced the community members to start walking a distance of about one kilometer in search of clean drinking water.

So with the introduction of this well, community members now save time in accessing safe drinking water. This saved time is usually used for other economic activities like farming and running businesses in the trading center.

Edward Baguma

We met with Edward Baguma at the well to talk about how life in Kibyama-Titi has been this past year. He said, "There are reduced cases of diseases like diarrhea. I would hear of an average 20 cases per month of children under five suffering from diarrhea as a result of water-related difficulties. But after the construction of this well, I've received very few cases. The committee in charge of the water point has collected water user fees that are saved in the case the pump needs repairs. Right now, they have over 100,000 shillings."

Irene fetching water with her siblings.

Irene Birungi came to fetch water during the interview with Mr. Baguma. She said, "These days we drink clean water with no germs, unlike before when we drank water from an open source that was smelly and had a bad taste. This water would cause skin diseases and other problems. With this well, diseases are not evident."

Evalyne said she is grateful for the huge effort this community is taking to care for their well. It is fully functional, checked by a local mechanic every month.


The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.


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 Kibyama-Titi 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 Kibyama-Titi 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.