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 Nyakanika I community in Uganda:
The community of Nyakanika I is located in Masindi District, Uganda. The village is several square kilometers wide, spread out over an undulating landscape, and is home to 28 households. As is typical of rural Ugandan communities, the great majority of residents in Nyakanika I are involved with agriculture. Families usually have 1-5 acres on which they grow mostly maize and a few additional crops.
Community members have to walk 2 kilometers to fetch water from a protected water source. Therefore, most community members use the water from an open source that is in their village. The water is contaminated as dirty surface waters easily access the water during the heavy rains. The effects of drinking contaminated water can be devastating to the individual and they can impact entire cultures.
Often, people who live in areas without sufficient safe, clean water, learn to live with diarrhea and other drinking water contamination effects. They take it for granted that they are just going to be sick periodically, and it is just a fact of life. Stomach aches become the norm. Fatigue and lethargy become common place.
But where people exist in a continually half-sick condition, their education and livelihoods can never be one hundred percent fruitful and prosperous. So, the condition of the people becomes the condition of the society. Health and education are severely impacted by a continual lack of safe water. In Africa, or anywhere there is a high incidence of HIV/AIDS, the need for clean water is even greater.
This new water source will signify a change in the lives of the community members of Nyakanika I. In the coming months The Water Trust will work together with the community members to improve hygiene and sanitation in every household. The Water Trust works in this village until all households have built their latrine. Clean water, access to a latrine and good hygiene are an integral combination to improve health of people living in rural Uganda.
Construction Progress:
November 15, 2012
This week the technician has been transferred to Nyakanika I. For the coming weeks the technician will stay with the community. The community will provide a house and food for the technician.
November 27, 2012
The depth of the well is 13 ft. Construction is moving on sound and the community is participating well.
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.
November 14, 2012
Today we conducted a baseline in this village. Of the 28 households that will use the water, 11 households practice open defecation. Lynet, our Community Development Officer that works in this village, will visit the village on a regular basis to improve the sanitation of the households.
November 22, 2012
Today we have brought digging tools for constructing latrines to the community. The community made household digging groups. A group consists out of 6 households. Each group receives a set of tool and the households help each other with digging the pits. This approach is successful as the group shares the responsibility of digging pits in every home. Furthermore, elderly people who are not able to dig a pit themselves are helped by their neighbors.
