Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 225 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

Project Features


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The landscape in Rubona Kyawendera, Uganda has gentle undulating slopes. Sugar plantations are visible throughout the community and there are patches of Eucalyptus trees planted by the local people to chop down for making charcoal. People here primarily make a living farming and selling sugarcane for profit as well as growing maize, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, and cassava for home consumption.

One of the most significant challenges here is the lack of water. People walk more than a mile each day to reach the nearest scoop holes and protected springs.

"Walking to get water from this source can be tiresome after school," said Moses, an 11-year-old student from the community.

The current nearby open water source is also being shared with animals which exposes it to high risks of contamination. During rainy seasons, the water point is very turbid, or full of particles, due to uphill runoff. It also becomes very slippery and difficult to access. People here do use protected springs but they are far away, and when we visited them we noticed there were signs of silting on the platforms and poor drainage. It requires a lot of effort to unsilt the platforms and open the waterways through the drainage once this happens.

"Our water source is not clean and fit for human consumption because it's shared with monkeys and other wild animals. At times, the animals defecate and urinate in the water making it even unhealthier for us," said Edward Bakimba, a local farmer.

Some people resort to rainwater harvesting by placing buckets underneath their roofs to catch the falling water, but that is only reliable during the rainy seasons. Reported cases of stomachaches, especially among children who drink from this water source, are common. The lack of water in the community places a particular burden on the women and young girls who walk long distances each day in search of cleaner water from the protected spring or scoop holes.

"The wet season is often a challenge to collect water because it is slippery and hard to walk a long distance to the spring," said Charity, a woman we met during our visit.

"The runoff in wet season worsens the quality of the water because it is open and unprotected. I am looking forward to an improved water source."

There is a need to provide this community with a protected water source so that they can access clean and safe water throughout the year.

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

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 Consallen 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 about 12 days. This well will be located in Rubana Community and will bring clean water closer to families having to walk long distances for their water.

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 handwashing are all possible contaminants of a household water supply. Each participating village must achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by 1 latrine per household) before the pump installation for a shallow hand-dug well.

This social program includes the assignment of 1 Community Development Officer (CDO) to each village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes a latrine, handwashing 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 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 the latrines, 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 they will need.

Project Updates


March, 2024: Project Change in Rubona Kyawendera!

Projects, like water itself, are fluid.

Sometimes, there are unique circumstances that can neither be resolved nor reversed that turn a well-loved water point into one that has failed to meet the expectations of both the community it serves and our own commitment to help provide access to safe and reliable water.

Unfortunately, this hand-dug well is no longer meeting the water needs of Rubona Kyawendera Community, despite repeated efforts, spent resources, and a lot of patience from the community and our team.

The Water Project, the community members, and local leaders have decided together that decommissioning the hand-dug well was the best course of action. As a result, we will no longer make monitoring visits here.




April, 2021: Rubona Kyawendera Community Project Complete!

Water is now flowing from a new hand-dug well in Rubona Kyawendera, Uganda. People are thrilled about this development that has further unified their community. Community members also attended hygiene and sanitation planning sessions and financial training and have learned a lot that will enable them to live healthier lives.

"I am very grateful to your team for constructing this water point. We shall no longer share that open water source with animals as before," said Charity Businge.

"I used to walk about three kilometers to collect water from other water sources, especially when we had village functions like burial ceremonies and parties. I am happy this will now be reduced."

Hand-Dug Well

The construction of this new well was a big success!


There were no major delays during the construction process. The construction was done during the dry season when most community members were available since they were waiting for the rains to arrive before beginning the next planting season on their farms.

The process involved:
1) Community mobilization
2) Identification of the future well's site
3) Hiring the contractor and technicians
4) Excavating until a viable water column was achieved
5) Lining the well with concrete liners and clay burnt bricks
6) Conducting recharge analysis to estimate the yield in liters per minute
7) The casting of the apron and drainage channel
8) Construction of the plaque stand
9) Installation of the Consallen hand pump.
10) Water quality analysis and commissioning

The team found a static water level at ten meters and continued down to fourteen meters for the well's final depth.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sub County and District stakeholders were not in attendance. A few water users were present, and the water source was handed over to them in the village leader's presence. The leader of the village gave a brief speech thanking us for constructing a new water point. The few users who were present clapped hands and danced as they expressed their excitement.

Celebrating the new well

"I am happy this water point is now closer to home. Whenever my mother would send me to collect water from the open water source, I would feel unsafe because it looked very turbid. It contained small snails and fungi growing on the surface. I believe I will no longer have disagreements with my mother since we now have the technology that we have been longing for in my village," said Moses, a boy in the community.

Training

Initially, the training for the community was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We did not schedule the training until the Ugandan government allowed gatherings, and we deemed it was safe enough for our teams. Unfortunately, we were unable to take any photos during the training due to limitations on attendees, which prevented all of our typical training team from attending to take on this responsibility.

The community was mobilized through a series of meetings that sensitized them on the importance and purpose of financial saving. This included meetings to create a community profile (mapping physical environment and stakeholders in the community) and a participatory vulnerability capacity assessment exercise. In this exercise, community members mapped out their shared risks and opportunities, including the water point breaking down. The savings group training date was scheduled with the community.

A one-day intensive training was scheduled in four major parts: introduction, first saving meeting, first loan meeting, and share.

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 used to pay for any repairs to the well if an issue arises. The group also agreed on a social fund to contribute to each meeting to provide grants to fellow group members to help them with funeral expenses or catastrophes such as fire damage.

In collaboration with the community facilitator and natural leaders, we trained households on critical hygiene and sanitation facilities to build. Our teams monitor these facilities' construction, such as latrines, dishracks, refuse pits, handwashing facilities, and bath shelters. We also trained local artisans on fabricating and selling sanitation products that allow for more hygienic and accessible latrines.

The community conceptually understood the sanitation and hygiene lessons in the training but will need support and monitoring to ensure follow-through in building new facilities and developing new habits.

Additionally, our teams will provide follow-up training to support putting the savings group into practice. Saving procedures and loans were understood, and good skills and knowledge were gained from the sessions. However, continuous coaching will be required in records management to support the group's success.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




February, 2021: Rubona Kyawendera Community project underway!

Dirty water from open water sources is making people in Rubona Kyawendera, Uganda sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install 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 news of success!




Project Photos


Project Type

Hand-dug wells have been an important source of water throughout human history! Now, we have so many different types of water sources, but hand-dug wells still have their place. Hand dug wells are not as deep as borehole wells, and work best in areas where there is a ready supply of water just under the surface of the ground, such as next to a mature sand dam. Our artisans dig down through the layers of the ground and then line the hole with bricks, stone, or concrete, which prevent contamination and collapse. Then, back up at surface level, we install a well platform and a hand pump so people can draw up the water easily.


A Year Later: Improved Hygiene and Shorter Distances

April, 2022

A year ago, your generous donation helped Rubona Kyawendera Community in Uganda access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Betty. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Rubona Kyawendera Community.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Rubona Kyawendera Community maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

Farmer Betty Bahemurwaki, 34, shared what life was like before her community had a new well installed last year.

She said, "It was hard to get clean water for drinking because I had to move long distances in order to fetch clean water."

But now that Betty and her fellow community members have access to the well, they can access clean water for all of their needs and do it without traveling so far. "I move [a] shorter distance and collect clean water for my family," said Betty.

Water affects so many aspects of people's lives. "It has helped me improve on my family's hygiene, and as a woman, I think [I] am now cleaner than before this project was completed."

Betty collecting water at the well.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Rubona Kyawendera Community maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Rubona Kyawendera Community – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


Contributors

Mark and Mari Donnelly Charitable Fund
Wildflower Beverage Co.
Kay Thet Homes
Patrick Franco
Steve Eckert
Eamon and Rowan
-Kaitabahuma Community Water Goal-
Water for Africa
Making a Better Future for Our Planet
25 individual donor(s)