Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 200 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2019

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 12/09/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Geoffrey Kusemerewa, M&E Assistant

People in parts of Alimugonza Community travel up to a mile to access water from an unsafe, open source. The water is gathered in plastic jerricans and used for drinking, washing, and cooking.

Surface runoff from nearby farms contaminates the water, putting community members at high risk of contracting waterborne diseases.

"Last year, we had serious diarrhea outbreak in children below 5 years old. They had constant stomach pain. It forced their parents to spend a lot of time at hospitals and money for medication," Mr. David Musowa said.

This community has backslid on its level of sanitation over the past 5 years. There is some knowledge in the community about improved hygiene and sanitation from past trainings.

More than half of households have pit latrines which mean open defecation is still an issue in this community. There are very few improved pit latrines and no handwashing stations.

Most people here are peasant farmers. It is the rainy season in Masindi and this is the time when people are mostly planting their crops. During this season they go to gardens and return home around midday. They rest and eat lunch with their children who come back home from school.

Thereafter some go back to the garden to work until late in the evening. The men tend to go for social activities while women remain home for household chores. The men come back later to eat dinner and sleep.

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

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.

New Hand-Dug Well

With the guidance of our artisans and mechanics, the excavated well will be cased, sealed with a well pad, and then finished with a new AfriDev pump. The community will participate in excavating and constructing the water source.

Excavation takes a month or more on average, depending on the nature of the rock beneath. Construction of the well lining and installation of the pump takes on average 12 days.

This well will be located in Katugo Community and will bring clean water closer to families having to walk long distances for their water.

We are also constructing one more hand-dug well and rehabilitating two existing wells for the community to ensure everyone has access to safe water! Learn more here and here.

Note: We do not have the precise GPS coordinates for this project at this time, but will update as soon as possible.

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


January, 2019: Reliable Water for Alimugonza Community!

A clean water well has been drilled in Alimugonza Community, Uganda! Community members have also attended training sessions during which they worked together to make a development action plan. They are working to build new facilities, tools, and habits that will improve living standards in Alimugonza.

New Borehole

We worked with the community to determine the best possible sites for this well. The first attempts at shallow hand-dug wells were unsuccessful despite the best efforts of the community. The community displayed a significant commitment to getting clean water, contributing labor and supplies to both efforts at a shallow well.

Initial attempt at a borehole

After multiple attempts, the construction plan was switched to a borehole well.

Drill is brought in for a borehole

Some of the community members were willing to host the drilling technicians, giving them a place to sleep and food to eat. Many of them were there each day to watch the drilling. Drilling was delayed by 3 months due to rains that made it impossible for the rig to be brought to the community.

The borehole process involved: 1) Community mobilization; 2) Identification of site; 3) Identify suitable contractor; 4) Hired contractor; 5) Contractor conducted Geophysical survey to determine a suitable site; 6) The Contractor drilled the borehole; 7) The contractor conducted a test pump for 3 hours to determine yield and recovery; 8) Casting the apron and drainage channel; 9) Installation of India Mark II; 10) Sampled for Biochemical and physical.

Water!

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

Training

We led the community in identifying the root causes of common problems and how they affect the quality of life. They discussed who is most affected by these issues, and then developed an action plan to handle these issues.

More than 80 percent of community members attended the training session. The level of participation was very high. Community members asked many questions as they sought clarifications on topics discussed during the training.

The training participants were active and receptive to the program. The community demonstrated a willingness for teamwork, ensure indefinite water flow through the proactive operation and maintenance of the well. As well as a readiness to embrace new programs that can enhance their health and livelihood outcomes.

By leading the community through these issues affecting health, hygiene, and sanitation, they came to the realization that they have the tools needed to solve them. They realized they can construct latrines by themselves, and came up with an action plan to guide the entire community in this process.

Our team has scheduled follow-ups and more training sessions to achieve 100% sanitation coverage with every household having a latrine, handwashing station, bathing shelter, and drying racks. This cannot be achieved without a continuous relationship.

Community members are also trained on:

– maintenance and operation of water point

– fecal-oral route (describing the chain of events that can cause food and water to be contaminated by feces)

– hygiene practices

– sanitation ladder how it is connected to groundwater pollution

– the gender task analysis, and

– water and sanitation committee roles and responsibilities of each member, and their responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the water point, including financial management

Before the training, the Water and Sanitation Committee Chairperson took on all of the executive roles of the other members - including funds collection and disbursement. That demotivated members of the committee and community members at large on proactive operation and maintenance of their water point. But now, after the clarity on roles and responsibilities of each member of the committee in the training, the members have become aware and motivated to continue being part of the committee to extend outreach to the larger community with their specific mandates.

Welihe Misaki acknowledged that this awareness of their roles and responsibility within the committee has resolved conflicts and improved cohesion among the members.

"The challenge the community has now is the maintenance of the water points and scaling up good hygiene practices and sanitation," added Mr. James Ozele.

"This training has communicated the importance for community members as to why water and sanitation is key to health and development."




January, 2019: Alimugonza Community Project Underway

Dirty water from open water sources is making people in Alimugonza Community sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to build a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the narrative and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


Contributors

First Congregational Church of Chatham
Christi Paul
Shovel for Shovel
Nimah Hair LLC
19 individual donor(s)