Rehabilitation Project
Only one water source exists for the 285 people in the Kikaranga Community. For some, the journey to the waterpoint takes over an hour, and once they get to the well, they still have to wait in long, contentious lines.
There is an alternative distant well in a busy area with safe water, but the long distance damages their health and puts children at higher risk for accidents.
"There are risks of accidents and security concerns due to the presence of cane cutters, who also create disturbances for children when they encounter them in the queue," shared Field Officer Bena Nakabiri.
Jacinta tending her crops.
Forty-one-year-old Jacinta Kimuli, a wife and mother, exemplifies Kikaranga residents' daily struggle. The water crisis severely hampers her efforts to care for and provide for her family.
"It can take up to 1.5 hours due to the long queue, especially during the dry season," Jacinta reveals, describing her wait times at the well.
Jacinta's daily routine is grueling. She collects water at least twice a day, spending hours collecting water to meet her family's needs. This causes her to lose valuable time that could be spent working in her garden. She faces a constant trade-off between water collection and food production, making it increasingly difficult to provide for her family.
Jacinta at the distant well.
With accessible water, Jacinta and her children won't have to spend their days making long, dangerous trips for water, which impede their progress. Safe water access will change their lives.
As Bena concludes, "It (the new well) will help shorten the distance. It will reduce crowding at the available waterpoint, thus decreasing waiting time. Additionally, it will provide us an opportunity for people to focus on other tasks, such as gardening."
For Jacinta, her children, and the entire Kikaranga community, safe and accessible water means more than quenched thirst—it represents a chance to reclaim their time, improve their health, and build a better future.
Steps Toward a Solution
Our technical experts worked with the local community to identify the most effective solution to their water crisis. They decided to drill a borehole well, construct a platform for the well, and attach a hand pump.
Well
Abundant water often lies just beneath our feet. Aquifers—natural underground rivers—flow through layers of sediment and rock, offering a constant supply of safe water. A borehole well is drilled deep into the earth to access this naturally filtered and protected water. We penetrate meters, sometimes even hundreds of meters, of soil, silt, rock, and more to reach the water underground. Once found, we construct a platform for the well and attach a hand pump. The community gains a safe, enclosed water source capable of providing approximately five gallons of water per minute. Learn more here!
Community Education & Ownership
Hygiene and sanitation training are integral to our water projects. Training is tailored to each community's specific needs and includes key topics such as proper water handling, improved hygiene practices, disease transmission prevention, and care of the new water point. Safe water and improved hygiene habits foster a healthier future for everyone in the community. Encouraged and supported by the guidance of our team, a water user committee representative of the community's diverse members assumes responsibility for maintaining the water point, often gathering fees to ensure its upkeep.
A Community-Wide Approach
In Uganda, we use a Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach, which involves several meetings where community members evaluate their own hygiene and sanitation practices to encourage lasting change. During these sessions, natural leaders emerge, motivating the community to recognize and change unhealthy behaviors that affect everyone.
Communities then commit to ending open defecation before we install the water project. Every household builds and uses a latrine to prevent disease and improve hygiene and sanitation alongside their new water source. To support this effort, a Community Development Officer (CDO) is assigned. The CDO encourages each household to set up handwashing stations, animal pens, garbage pits, and dish-drying racks. These additions are crucial in preventing the spread of common diseases.
