Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 225 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2019

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/13/2024

Project Features


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"It’s 4 years since our water point broke down and the pump head was stolen," Ms. Christine Asiimwe said to us.

"We resorted to taking water from an unprotected source which has caused typhoid, diarrhea, and poverty because we spend money in buying medications. We need help."

People like Ms. Asimwee in Kyamudikya Community use plastic jerricans to collect water from the nearby unprotected well. They spend a lot of time collecting water that is not safe. As a result, time and money are lost to deal with the effects of waterborne diseases caused by consuming the dirty water.

Fewer than half of the households we observed have latrines and/or bathing rooms. However, the general attitude of the community towards hygiene and sanitation is positive. They seem to understand the importance of good sanitation and hygiene through lack proper knowledge on how to ensure proper hygiene.

The community’s predominant activity is agriculture and some few families rear animals, like cattle and goats. Every day people in this village wake up at around 6am. The men go to directly to work their gardens and women prepare the children to go to school before joining the garden work. They work until about noon when they break to eat leftover food from dinner as lunch.

In most cases, women start doing household chores like preparing dinner, collecting firewood, and fetching water after lunch. Meanwhile, the men go to graze animals and find water for them to drink if it is the dry season. During the rainy season, both go back in the garden to either plant, weed or harvest.

Then on their way home, they collect firewood, water, and foodstuffs to prepare for supper.

In this village supper is the main meal of the day, hence it is given a lot of attention. Preparing some meals takes more than four hours depending on the distances to the water sources, type of food, size of the family, the nature of the cooking equipment, fuel used and the weather conditions.

As a result, most households end going to sleep late in the night - 10pm at the earliest.

Here’s what we’re going to do about it:

Training

Training’s main objectives are the use of latrines and observing proper hygiene practices since 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 contaminants of a household water supply. Each participating village must achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by one latrine per household), prior to the pump installation for a shallow hand-dug well.

This social program includes the assignment of one Community Development Officer (CDO) to each village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes: a latrine, hand-washing facility, a separate structure for animals, rubbish pit and drying rack for dishes.

We also implement the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach with each of our village partners. This aims 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 the current practices of individual households – particularly the practice of 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.

Rehabilitated Well

We will overhaul the borehole in this community, restoring clean water by relining the inside, building a well pad, and installing a new pump.

We are also constructing a new borehole well for the community so that everyone has good water access! Go here to learn more about it.

Note: The GPS coordinates for this project are not exact. We will have a precise location as soon as the project begins!

Improved Sanitation

The aim is that all households own an improved latrine. Many households do not use a latrine but use the bush. Due to open defecation, feces are spread all over the village. This leads to waterborne diseases and contamination of groundwater and surface water. Our aim is that the community is able to live a healthy life free of preventable diseases. We endeavor that at the end of our presence in the community, people will have both access to sustainable, clean water and access to sanitation. We have now organized families to form digging groups for latrine construction, and empowered them with tools to use.

Project Updates


January, 2019: Kyamudikya Community Project Complete

Water is now flowing from a restored borehole well in Kyamudikya Community, Uganda. People are thrilled about this development that has further unified the community. People also attended hygiene and sanitation planning sessions and financial training, and have learned a lot that will enable them to live healthier lives.

Rehabilitated Borehole

Rehabilitation of this well was a big success!

Fetching water from the rehabilitated well.

We have updated the GPS coordinates of this project to show the well’s location.

It took about a month of work to finish this well. The most important part of this process was our collaboration with the community, who helped our technicians immensely by hosting them and cooking meals each day.

The team had to clean out the well, install a new cement platform to protect the water inside, and provide a new stainless steel pump.

Flushing out the borehole

Installing the new stainless steel pump

The committee met the pump mechanics to oversee the installation of a new stainless steel Consallen pump. They were given contact information for all of our trained hand-pump mechanics in the area. They look forward to receiving technical assistance whenever they need it!

"I thank you for restoring this water point," said Simon Kabura.

"It has been a challenge to get the expensive pipes and rods from the market to improve the well. By replacing the old pipes and rods with stainless steel ones guarantees the borehole has clean water for my community."

Finishing up the work.

Training

All community members in the village were mobilized through the local leaders, who informed them of our training plans. The aim of the meeting was helping members to clearly understand the problems affecting their area.

More than 20 community members were able to attend the meetings and actively participated in identifying problems and coming up with solutions. The participants actively participated and effectively contributed to the success of the training.

"This training has helped us understand the importance of safe water, how to have good water and good hygiene," said Mr. Kabura.

"Thank you."

Community members not only mapped hazards in their area, but came up with an action plan to prevent further issues. This encouraged household leaders to build new facilities at home, such as latrines and handwashing stations. Discussions helped these household representatives work out how to best prevent diseases by building new sanitation facilities, treating their water, and adopting other hygienic daily habits.

Another day of training was dedicated to a Village Savings and Loan Association. The money saved will be dedicated to the community’s overall development and well-being, with money first and foremost set aside to care for the community’s new clean water source. Participants voted on a committee that will oversee the savings program and their new clean water point.




December, 2018: Kyamudikya Community Project Underway

Dirty water from open sources is making people in Kyamudikya Community sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to restore clean water to a well and much more.

Get to know this community through the narrative and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




Project Photos


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!


Contributors

Mint Creperie and Coffee Bar
Facebook Donations
Everyday Christians FUMC Valdosta, Ga
ditoma limited
Steve Churchman
15 individual donor(s)