Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Masindi / Jinga Uganda

Impact: 433 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

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Community Profile

Kinyonga Primary is a government aided primary school located in Kaduku Parish, Masindi port sub-county, Kiryandongo district and has an enrollment of 433pupils (365girls and 435boys). In terms of sanitation and hygiene, the school has one 5stance latrine shared among teachers and learners which government has just constructed as the old one got filled out. This school does not have access to clean and safe water as there is no source of clean water at the school. Pupils fetch water from a community borehole located 1km away which inconveniences study time. Mr. Bithumurungi Denis the school head teacher says that the reason he invited The Water Trust to this school for support is because he felt that the district local government had taken so long without putting the school’s need for clean water in the budget. Mr. Chandia Joseph the Kiryandongo District Water Officer says that budgetary constraints are a reason this school has taken long to be allocated a water source.

According to the WHO, diseases due to poor water supply, sanitation, and personal and domestic hygiene cause 4.0% of all deaths and 5.7% of all disability or ill health in the world. Moreover, waterborne illnesses predominantly affect the poor and the young. When basic water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions are applied, waterborne illnesses can be effectively reduced (www.who.int). Clean water is vital for health, especially in children who suffer the most when clean water is not available.  Sanitation remains very poor in this school and it is important that this improves to protect the health of the learners.

As strategies to address the sanitation situation, the school has started a daily general cleaning around the school including latrines and Ms. Alinda Carol one of the teachers in the school has been assigned the responsibility to head sanitation and hygiene programs. The school has also foamed a health club which will do peer to peer advocacy on sanitation related issues on a daily basis. This school has also been identified for support to construct a borehole in a bid to improve the school sanitation standard and our social team will train the school health club and drilling and installation takes place. We expect the health impacts of clean water and improved sanitation at this school will be felt for many years to come.

CONSTRUCTION TIMELINE

January 12, 2015

Today we visited Kinyonga primary school with Ikon projects the drilling company to site a suitable location for the borehole and all was successful.

February 23, 2015

The drilling company reported to site and began work. Drilling was concluded at 54.6m deep and the well has been covered.

March 5, 2015

After good results from a pump testing exercise yesterday, we returned to installation today and all was successful. Clean and safe water is now flowing and both pupils and the school management are happy about this development. The school authorities have been instructed to ensure that afence using local material is erected around the well for protection.

 

SANITATION AND HYGIENE STRATEGY

The Community Development Officer (CDO) encourages each household to follow the main objectives of TWT’s Sanitation and Hygiene Program, which 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 works toward sustainable, interdisciplinary WASH development.

The Water Trust’s social program includes the assignment of one to build development. 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.  An ideal homestead includes: a latrine with a hand-washing facility, a rubbish pit, separate structure for animals and a drying rack for dishes.

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, embarrassment and shame are frequent motivators for individual households to: build latrines, use the latrines and demand that other households do the same.

 

Project Updates


March, 2024: Project Change in Kinyonga Primary School!

Projects, like water itself, are fluid.

Sometimes, there are unique circumstances that can neither be resolved nor reversed that turn a well-loved water point into one that has failed to meet the expectations of both the community it serves and our own commitment to help provide access to safe and reliable water.

Unfortunately, the well is no longer meeting the water needs of the Kinyonga Primary School, despite repeated efforts, spent resources, and a lot of patience from the community and our team.

The Water Project, the school administration, and local leaders have decided together that decommissioning the well was the best course of action. As a result, we will no longer make monitoring visits here.




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Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!


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