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 Kisindizi Podia in Uganda:
Background
Kisindizi Podia lies a few kilometers off the Masindi – Kigumba road at the border of Pakanyi and Mirya sub-counties in Isimba parish. This community is renowned for mixed farming where residents engage in both Pastoralism and subsistent farming. This village has a trading centre called Nyambindo with vibrant nightlife which folks flock to after a long day in their farm gardens. Residents of this village either draw water from a contaminated open sources located 1km away or they trek three kilometers to the neighboring village for clean water. This has made access to clean water for domestic use a big challenge among this community.
Lynet, one of the TWT Community development officers, visited this village for a first village meeting where she met the village chairman Sabbiti Bashir, a 42 year old husband and father of 8 children who expressed the village’s dire need for a protected water source. This village is water starved and its sanitation is not good, as many households do not have latrines. On realizing the dangers of poor sanitation and how urgently they needed access to clean and safe water, Bashir shared his concerns with the village and they agreed that he should apply to The Water Trust for a hand dug shallow well on behalf of the community.
The Water Trust will have an intensive program to provide access to clean water and sanitation in this village. The community will participate in excavating and constructing the water source. In the mean time the aim is that all households have access to a latrine. Many households don’t use a latrine but use the bush. Due to open defecation, faeces are spread over the village. This leads to (fatal) diseases and contamination of the groundwater. Our aim is that the community is able to live a healthy life, free of preventable diseases. Therefore we endeavor that at the end of our presence in the community; people have both access to sustainable clean water and access to sanitation. As a strategy to achieve this, we don’t commission the water source until all households have latrines. We have formed digging groups for latrine construction and empowered them with tools to use.
Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy
The main objectives of TWT’s Sanitation and Hygiene Program are the use of latrines and observing proper hygiene practices as these goals are inherently connected to the provision of clean water. Open defecation, water storage in unclean containers and the absence of hand washing at critical times are all possible contaminates to the water supply at the household level. TWT leverages this relationship, by requiring each participating village to achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by one latrine per household), 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.
The Water Trust’s social program includes the assignment of one Community Development Officer (CDO) per village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes: a latrine with hand-washing facility, a rubbish pit, separate structure for animals and drying rack for dishes.
Community Led Total Sanitation
The Water Trust implements the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach 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 are frequent motivators for individual households to: build latrines, use the latrines and demand that other households do the same.
Construction Progress
November 7, 2014
A technician by the name of Christopher has been delivered to this village where he received a very warm welcome from the community and sitting has been done. Excavation of the well has commenced with good participation from the community.
November 14, 2014
Excavation work is progressing on well with support from the community and the present well depth is 25ft with a water column of 7ft. Deepening will continue till a good water column is realized.
November 20, 2014
Construction work at this well has been concluded today and the well has been covered to allow it cure as we prepare foe its installation.
November 28, 2014
We successfully installed the well yesterday and the community is happy about this achievement. We also captured this update in the pictures we have shared below.
