Kikobwa Community

October, 2026: Kikobwa Community Well Complete!

We are excited to share that your donation contributed to a safe, reliable well in Kikobwa Community, Uganda. The borehole well is now providing community members with safe water! Additionally, we hosted a training where community members worked together to make a development action plan. As a result, families are working to build new sanitation and hygiene facilities and habits that will enable a healthier life.

"Access to water helps improve the health of my children because if they drink clean and safe water, they will not suffer from waterborne diseases, and this will make them have quality time in schools," shared 56-year-old farmer Christine Mbabazi.

Ms. Christine Mbabazi.

"This new water source will help me get income for my household because I am practicing poultry farming, which requires a lot of drinking water for the birds and water for washing their drinkers. When I sell these birds, my household income will improve," she concluded.

Well Construction

We worked with the community to determine the best possible site to drill the new well. We confirmed the site's eligibility by conducting a hydrogeological survey, which proves that there is sufficient groundwater to support the well 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 came to the work site each day to watch the drilling and see the well come to life.

When it came time to build the cement well pad, community members collected 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!

"Reliable water will impact my learning in school by improving my performance in school since I [will] no longer miss school because of failing to wash my school uniforms the previous evening, because there is always enough water for washing at home," celebrated 7-year-old Martin.

Martin at the well.

Community Education

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. A representative photo from a similar Self-Help Group training in Uganda.

We worked with the community to establish a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and a water user committee. The VSLA members will all contribute to two different savings accounts: one which can be used to give each other small loans throughout the year, and another that will fund maintenance and repairs at the new well. The group also agreed on a social fund that will provide grants to fellow group members and help them with weddings, funeral expenses or catastrophes such as fire damage. Our teams will provide follow-up training and continuous coaching to support the management of the VSLA.

Participant engagement is key. A representative photo from a similar Self-Help Group training in Uganda.

We conducted training 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. 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.

40-year-old Alfred Abitekanisa is a builder and the Vice Chairman of the new water user committee. He shared what impacted him from the training, "The most interesting topic we covered in the hygiene training was keeping our hands clean by washing with soap to avoid contaminating what we are eating with our dirty hands."

Mr. Abitekanisa.

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!

September, 2026: Exciting Progress in Kikobwa Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for Patricia and the entire Kikobwa Community. Construction has begun on the well project, bringing them one step closer to having clean, reliable water.

But that's not all—during construction, we’re also providing vital health training. These sessions equip the community with essential hygiene practices, ensuring that the benefits of clean water extend to lasting health improvements.

We’re so grateful for your role in making this possible. Stay tuned for more updates—soon, we’ll be celebrating the arrival of safe water in the Kikobwa Community!