Rehabilitation Project
Our implementing partner reports...
The village of Busambwa is located in the heart of Bukanga sub-county where we are currently targetting. To get to it you have to pass through Nawantale where we have built a shallow well and are currently performing a home improvement campaign. Once you’ve passed through Busambwa and rise up the hill you reach our newest site, Busaanda. Across the swamp from Busambwa you can make out the buildings of Bukand sub-county offices, but even so close to the seat of local power the population lacks basic amenities such as fresh water. Busambwa is clearly a poor village, it is at the bottom of the valley close to the swamp and there are more dilapidated buildings here than in other villages we work in.
It seems that sugarcane forms an important part of this villages economy, acting as the only viable cash crop. The sugar cane surrounds the village and looks quite magnificent at this time of year standing 10 feet tall ready to be harvested. Otherwise, the residents seem to be engaged in typical subsistence agricultural pursuits. The children are able to attend the local school by crossing the swamp and reaching the sub-county headquarters.
The children are especially in need of clean water sanitation, as are the rest of the village’s residents. Currently they are drinking water from the swamp. This water is very dirty and is not safe to drink.
To respond to this urgent need, Busoga Trust has begun efforts to improve sanitation in the community. A novel technique called Community Led Total Sanitation has been employed, which should rapidly increase latrine coverage in the village. Once this is accomplished, a Busoga Trust technician will start to work alongside community members to construct a shallow hand-dug well. The combined improvement in sanitation and safe water access will make a big impact in the community and greatly improve the health and livelihoods of Busambwa’s people.
[GPS coordinates for this project are approximate.]
10/1/2012 – Today we followed up the application by conducting the first village meeting. The chairman expressed his gratitude for our help and said safe water has been an amenity long overdue in his community and they are willing to help in whatever way. The residents will need to collect the local materials, provide food and board and improve their sanitation levels. This was agreed upon by those present at the meeting and a water users committee was elected. We distributed jerrycans and pick axes for building pit latrines and tippy taps and also conducted the sanitation baseline survey whilst the meeting took place.
17/1/2012 – The team held a CLTS session that was very well attended with 170 people coming to hear our message about the importance of sanitation in keeping your community safe from diarrhoeal disease. Afterall what’s the point of safe water, if it get’s contaminated by dirty jerrycans or unwashed hands? We should see a dramatic increase in pit-latrine and tippy tap construction in the community. We shall wait and see, out follow-ups will verify progress and if targets are met then we shall drop off the technician to begin the well’s construction.
