Kyakaki's 400 people have two choices for water: they can get it from the nearby swamp, or they can trek three kilometers, crossing busy roads and sugarcane fields, to reach an already-overcrowded borehole in faraway Ntooma.

"Since I got married and was brought to Kyakaki village, the only water source we [ever] had was that swamp, which even dries during dry seasons," said 59-year-old Naume Kolire, pictured above in front of the crowd gathered to fetch water from the swamp.

"Those days, the only way [to get water] would be going to Ntooma, which is more than three kilometers (1.86 miles) [away]. I collect water from the swamp because it is near, though the water is dirty and the area is dangerous, as there are snakes which are a threat."

Just before our staff visited Kyakaki, a man fetching water was confronted by an angry cobra and was only saved from a venomous bite due to his friend's quick thinking in distracting the snake.

"I only move to the borehole for drinking water," Naume continued. "As you go, you must have enough time planned for water because there [are] always long queues, and in the process, if you left no safe water at home, you will find when [you get home], the children have already drunk the swamp water. At times, you find when you don't have enough jerrycans at home that the same jerrycan you use to collect the other water for other domestic activities is the same used for collecting safe water for drinking. Imagine."

"You do not have enough water to first rinse the jerrycan before collecting the safe water, and even when you say you will clean [it] at the borehole, people won't allow you because of the long queue. You [would] be like wasting their time. In the process, the safe water you think you have collected is also contaminated.

"My grandchildren usually complain of stomachaches [and] diarrhea," Naume said. "Even as of now, my three-year-old grandson Davis is on diarrhea treatment. This makes me incur unexpected costs, and the money I would have used for buying children's necessities and other basic needs is spent on treatment."

Content warning: The content below includes mentions of violence. 

12-year-old Ivan is the one in his family sent to fetch water, and he feels keenly the unfairness of the water crisis in his community. "I go to collect water after school, and at the water point, adults threaten to beat [us kids] even when we are the first in the line."

"Sometimes as people push in the line, jerrycans get broken, and this leads to problems at home," Ivan continued. "One time, my jerrycans got broken at the well, and I was beaten by my mother. Sometimes when we go to the swamp, we find gorillas and we end up not collecting water, and thus fail to wash our uniforms. And since the teachers usually punish and send us back home when we go [to school] with dirty uniforms, we automatically don't go to school. Last term, I missed going to school for two days because we had no water at home, so I couldn't go with dirty uniforms."

The local government in Kyakaki told our field officers about multiple squabbles related to water along with instances of domestic violence due to the long amount of time women spend fetching water. Standing in line at the faraway, crowded borehole means that other activities, including household meals, are often delayed or missed entirely, which sparks tempers in a situation where everyone is in need. Some women told our field officers that they have resorted to only serving one meal per day because they just can't manage more.

When a vital resource like water is scarce, it's easier for conflicts to arise as everyone fights for their family's needs. But that also means that providing more water sources should help ease the tension felt between family members and neighbors as more needs will be met.

Note: Our proposed water point can only serve 300 people per day. We are working with the community to identify other water solutions that will ensure all 500 people in the community have access to safe and reliable drinking water.

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

New Borehole

This new borehole is an exciting opportunity for this community! We work with the community to determine the best possible sites for this well.

We conducted a hydrogeological survey and the results indicated the water table is an ideal candidate for a borehole well. Due to a borehole well's unique ability to tap into a safe, year-round water column, it will be poised to serve all of the water needs for this community, even through the dry months.

Community members will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, rocks, and water for mixing cement. They will also provide housing and meals for the work team, in addition to providing local laborers. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans and drilling professionals, tools, hardware, and the hand-pump. Once finished, water from the well will then be used by community members for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.

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 this borehole 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, a 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 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 them, 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 to use.

Project Updates

August, 2023: Kyakaki Community Well Complete!

A new borehole well drilled in Kyakaki Community, 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.

"I am happy that this water point is nearer to home and [I] am able to help my mother collect water whenever my little brother is crying," said 8-year-old Michelle K.

Michelle K. at the well.

Michelle continued, "I plan to start learning how to wash my clothes since I can easily access water as compared to before when my parents would restrict me from wasting water since they had to walk long distances to collect water for domestic purposes."

Farmer Abdullah Umar, 55, agreed. He shared, "[I] am very grateful to you for giving us access to a clean water point. Before, we would share water from open sources with animals, and this was very risky, especially for our children."

Abdullah celebrating the waterpoint.

"Our children and families are safe, and [I] am able to monitor my girls' movement since this borehole is located within the community with several households. I plan to monitor my children's health and take it much more seriously since we now have access to clean and safe water. This is all because I now have enough time to monitor their health," he continued.

New Borehole

We worked with the community to determine the best possible site to drill this new well. We confirmed the site's eligibility by conducting a hydrogeological survey, which proves that the water table belowground is at a sustainable level before drilling begins.

Several households volunteered to host our team of drilling technicians, giving them a place to sleep and food to eat throughout their work. Many community members also came to the work site each day to watch the drilling and see the well come to life.

Drilling.

When it came time to build the cement well pad, community members found fine sand and water to mix the cement. After the cement platform dried, we installed a stainless steel Consallen pump, which is now flowing with clean, safe water!

Well completed!

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. 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 Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, we're working toward complete coverage. That means 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!

June, 2023: Kyakaki Community Well Underway!

The lack of adequate water in Kyakaki Community costs people time, energy, and health every single day. Clean water scarcity contributes to community instability and diminishes individuals’ personal progress.

But thanks to your recent generosity, things will soon improve here. We are now working to install a reliable water point and improve hygiene standards. We look forward to sharing inspiring news in the near future!