Rehabilitation Project
A recent campaign in Uganda has helped provide clean water for schools throughout the Ruhaama district - an area like many others in Uganda where children can’t go to school because of the time they spend collecting water or because they fall ill from drinking the water they fetch from contaminated sources. Thanks to the support of The Water Project donors, ten wells have been completed to date.
Our program director, Jack Owen, was able to stop by the project during the construction and capture this video.
From Rukoni Primary School, our implementing partner, LWI, reports... (unedited)
"This community gave their land to receive water. When the LWI Uganda team came to survey the community, they came across a maize plantation and wanted to drill there because it was a promising zone, but were unsure what to do about their plantation. The community informed the team that without water, everything is nothing and immediately they brought the pangas and began cutting down their maize so the team could drill. Community members had been suffering from typhoid, malaria, diarrhea and severe dehydration, when the team arrived. The team was pleased to learn of the community’s use of a latrine system, as this will help prevent further spread of disease in the area. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a water committee consisting of five men and two women who assisted the team with the water project whenever possible and provided simple food for the LWI Uganda staff. This water committee is also responsible for creating a water maintenance and management plan for the community. They will have access to the LWI Uganda sustainability coordinator to help develop a community driven plan. Most community members survive by farming, to feed their families and the nearest school is a primary school located in the community. Before leaving, the team provided community member, Edmond Turyantemba, with a LWI Uganda contact number in case their well were to fall into disrepair, become subject to vandalism or theft.
The team had an opportunity to meet with fort-two year old community member and deputy head teacher, Edmund Turyantemba, who stated, 'I want to acknowledge the borehole given to us by LWI Uganda. It was done in a professional way. Thank you LWI for all your hard work and in the same good heart we want to say thank you, because this well is going to improve on hygiene and sanitation and our community and school will no longer have
to walk long distances for water.'
The LWI Uganda team shared hygiene education with 800 Kukoni Primary School students. During the hygiene education, the team addressed: Disease transmission, germs, hand washing, proper water saving techniques, how to keep the water clean, how to take proper care of the pump, good and bad hygiene behaviors and disease transmission stories.
The school was founded by a Protestant Church in 1937.It is located near a trading centre, and this school had two water sources, a borehole and an unprotected spring. The borehole was constructed for the community in 1987. According to Turyatemba Edmund, the deputy headmaster of the school, the borehole was always down and not working. The reasons being the task for the repair had been left solely in the hands of the school and yet the school has very little money. After the borehole had broken down, the school would take some time before the borehole could be repaired as they continue to accumulate money. By the time of the first visit to the school and even up to now the borehole had been down. According to him, the government has since then, never come back to check the borehole or do repairs even at the request of the community or the school. The borehole would break many times within a short period because of the overwhelming number of people in the area and also the large population of the school. The second water source is the unprotected spring. This they normally used when the borehole was broken down. It is located 1 kilometer from the school along the road. It is so dirty but after the borehole breaks down, it becomes the only alternative available for the pupils because the next borehole is too far and always congested."
We're so thankful to the supporters of The Water Project for making this well possible. It will do a great good!
