Rehabilitation Project
The 300 people living in this part of the Rwebigwara Community face a water crisis daily. Their closest water source, a dam, is two kilometers (1.24 miles) away. The distance makes it challenging and exhausting to collect sufficient water each day.
The dam is shared with cattle who drink, bathe and defecate nearby, contaminating it. When people, especially young children, consume the dirty dam water, they suffer from water-related illnesses. Spending money for treatment and medication for stomachaches, diarrhea, and typhoid costs families finances they cannot afford.
"I get water from [the] dam. If I drink this water, I have to boil it. When I bathe [with] this water, I always get skin rashes," said 12-year-old Emmanuel W., seen above collecting water.
The only alternative water source is a borehole well that offers safe drinking water, but it is even farther away, and unless people have a bicycle, they do not have the time or energy to make the trip.
Eunice Fuarach (shown below), a 37-year-old housewife from the community, considers the dam her primary water source but simply doesn't have the time or energy to collect water herself since she must tend her garden and care for her children. The task used to be easier, but since her bicycle broke, she has had no option but to pay for water - an expense that comes with significant sacrifices.
"Currently, my bicycle is down, so if I need safe drinking water, I buy [it] from hawkers. A jerrycan of water from the dam is 700 shillings, and a jerrycan of water from the borehole is 1,000 shillings," said Eunice.
The water scarcity in the community seriously impacts daily life and makes the maintenance of daily hygiene, like bathing and washing clothes, challenging. Often children go to school with dirty uniforms, risking being sent back home to miss classes and valuable learning time. This affects their long-term academic performance.
And for those who spend so much time collecting water each day, it means less time in their gardens affecting their productivity, ability to produce food for their families, or income.
"When we get the borehole, all these issues will be solved," concluded Eunice.
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.
