Rehabilitation Project
Kinuma Kyarugude is a small community that has grown in recent years to more than 390 residents. The village is mostly marshland with an active stream that feeds into a larger swamp. Despite being surrounded by surface water, there are no safe and reliable sources of water for the people living here.
This community has a shallow well that does not work. The site of the well - a geographically low point in the community - did not take into account that rainwater and contaminants collect at that point in the village. Over time, water has built up in the area of the well and eventually submerged the platform - rendering the well inoperative and unsafe for collecting drinking water. The pump is currently abandoned by the community as they opt for water from either the nearby open swamp or a borehole well found more than 1 mile away in the neighboring community.
People must now choose between walking 30 minutes each way to wait in line and collect water or go to the closeby yet unsafe swamp. Both options create hardship for households here. Flavia, a young girl we met while visiting the community, told us that she feels unsafe traveling to get water. And the open-source is not reliable, added Robina Katwesige, a farmer.
"We experience a seasonal drop in the yield of the water. We are forced to walk a long distance in pursuit of clean water," Robina explained.
People here make a living by rearing goats and farming. The most common crops farmed include maize, beans, groundnuts, and cassava. Most of those are saved for eating at home, but excess crops are sold in local markets. Families will also grow sugarcane as a cash crop. It takes from 18 months to 2 years for sugarcane to reach maturity before it is cut and sold to sugar factories.
Our teams observed that the majority of households here had empty and broken handwashing facilities. The local leader claimed that latrines are present in roughly two-thirds of the homes in the village. However, homes with tenants share latrine facilities - meaning that access may be strained in some households.
Here’s what we’re going to do about it:
New Borehole
This new borehole is an exciting opportunity for this community! We have already worked with community members to determine the best possible site for this well. The location had to be central and easily accessible to a majority of village members, and unlike the previous well, not at a low point. Once the best spot was found, we talked with the new well site's landowner about the process of construction. They agreed to the plans and said they are willing to donate their piece of land for the construction of the new water point.
Community members will mobilize the sand and water needed to mix with the cement during construction. The technology prescribed for this site is a borehole well drilled and installed with an India Mark II handpump. Drilling will be able to go deeper than the hand-dug well method, accessing safe, reliable water far below where a hand-dug well could ever reach. Because there are experiences of encountering bedrock in the area, drilling stands as the best option for restoring clean and safe water here.
After conducting proper hydrogeological surveys to confirm the desired site, the drill team will begin the process of creating a new well. Once the well is drilled to a sufficient water column, it will be cased, developed, and then tested before being handed over to the community.
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 is installed at the new 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 we have empowered them with the tools they will need.
