Rehabilitation Project
The report below from our partner in the field gives some great information on the construction of a new hand-dug well in the Kyakungulu community in Uganda:
Kyakungulu is a typical farming community. People work in their gardens during the day and in the evening people gather in small bars. "Life in the village is good when you have enough to eat," says a young boy. "You have to work hard to have a good life. We are always surrounded by friends, and in the evenings I love to watch football." The main problem in the village is clean water. The water people drink is open surface water and highly contaminated.
"We want to reduce diseases in our community," says the chairman. "We are a cooperative village and that’s why we have managed to collect all the material necessary for the construction of the well. I am happy that TWT is working in our village. Besides clean water, people will improve on their hygiene and sanitation. And perhaps, certain beliefs can be changed as well. For example, currently pregnant women don’t want to use a latrine as they are afraid to lose their baby. I am convinced that the work of TWT will change our community for the better!"
Construction Progress:
September 9, 2012
This week the technician was transferred to Kyakungulu. We are at the beginning stages of construction. Currently we are at 2 ft.
September 19, 2012
Last week the technician and the community worked very hard. We are already at 14 ft and we have struck water!
October 2, 2012
Currently the depth of the well is 16ft. The soils are collapsing and therefore construction progress was slow. The technician used timbers to safe the walls of the well from collapsing.
Sanitation and Hygiene Progress:
TWT’s social program includes the assignment of one Community Development Officer (CDO) to one village. The CDO encourages each households to build an ideal homestead that includes: a latrine, hand-washing facility, a separate structure for animals, rubbish pit and drying rack for dishes.
Although the main objectives of TWT’s Sanitation and Hygiene Program are the use of latrines and proper hygiene, 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 contaminators of a household water source. TWT leverages this relationship, by requiring each village to achieve Open Defecation Free statis (defined by one latrine per households), prior to the pump installation for a shallow hand dug well. Using the immediate gratification of clean water as an impetus, TWT works toward sustainable, interdisciplinary WASH development.
TWT implements the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) program with each of our village partners. TWT facilitates a CLTS session in which we aim 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 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, embarrassment and shame are frequent motivators for individual households to: build latrines, use the latrines and demand that other households do the same.
