Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Uganda WaSH Program

Impact: 375 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2022

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/12/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Byerima is hilly with fertile soils, and the community members are engaged in both commercial and subsistence farming. The village is covered with sugarcane plantations for commercial purposes and food crops like maize, beans, cassava, groundnuts, sweet potatoes, and many others for subsistence purposes.

The 900 people living here do not have a reliable source of water. Each day, people have to pass two nonfunctional wells searching for water, explained Local Council member Nicholas Balinda. He said that families would often all go to fetch water together because it is so far.

"One takes about thirty minutes to an hour standing in the long queue waiting for water. Getting water from this water point and in the village is negatively affecting my schedule, especially in the evening hours since there are no alternative nearby water sources,” added Beatrice Atuhairwe, a 24-year-old single mother.

“This water point is in poor condition and hard to pump. It is always crowded because of the huge population. Over 100 households from the three sub-villages of Kyakabasarah, Ijamirembe, and Kinenabuhere collect water from this water point."

We also met young teenager Geoffrey, who travels more than a mile each way to get water. He, too, said that the wait is very long to get water once he arrives at the well. There is no order, so fights break out often since people are rushing to get water at the end of the day and get home before dark.

"As a child, it becomes hard to get water and I end up spending a lot of time and going back home very late at night, putting my life at risk of getting into accidents and meeting dangerous animals, like dogs and snakes," he said.

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

Rehabilitated Well

We are going to restore water to the broken-down borehole. Since this water point is located at the center of the village and easily accessible by the majority of people when this borehole is restored to its original status, it will provide the community with easy access to clean and safe water. We will remove the old pump, clear out the well, reinstall a new stainless steel pump, and build a new well pad to protect the water.

In addition to the rehab, we are going to rehabilitate the other borehole for this community to alleviate the pressure on a single water point. We estimate that a single water point can serve about 350 people, so two reliable water points will help ensure that there are no longer any long lines here. Go here to learn more about the accompanying project.

Training

Training’s main objectives are the use of latrines and observing proper hygiene practices since these goals are inherently connected to clean water provision. Open defecation, water storage in unclean containers, and the absence of handwashing are all possible contaminants of a household water supply. Each participating village must achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by 1 latrine per household) before the pump installation for a shallow hand-dug well.

This social program includes the assignment of 1 Community Development Officer (CDO) to each village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes a latrine, handwashing facility, a separate structure for animals, a rubbish pit, and a 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 individual households' current practices – particularly the practice of open defecation – are unhealthy and 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.

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 can live a healthy life free of preventable diseases. We endeavor that people will have both access to sustainable, clean water and access to sanitation at the end of our presence in the community. We have now organized families to form digging groups for latrine construction and empower them with the tools they need.

Project Updates


February, 2022: Byerima Kyakabasarah Well Rehab Complete!

A well rehabilitated in Byerima Kyakabasarah, Uganda is already providing community members with clean, safe water! Additionally, we hosted a training where community members worked together to make a development action plan for their area. As a result, families are working to build new sanitation and hygiene facilities, tools, and habits that will help improve their living standards and enable a healthier life.

"I can now manage my time well on productive activities other than moving around looking for water," said 44-year-old housewife Dianah Katsegiwe. "[Water] access will help reduce the rate of community conflicts, which have been rampant."

Dianah at the rehabilitated borehole.

Dianah also has big plans for the borehole's water. First, she will start implementing the knowledge she learned in the hygiene training, starting with cleaning her jerrycans. But her long-term goal is to revive her kitchen garden, which had been put on hold due to the community's water shortage. She plans to plant tomatoes and cabbage, which will eventually increase her household income.

Pascal, a 16-year-old student who is currently studying for his grade 7 exam, also mentioned his plans to keep his family's garden healthy and hydrated. But that's not the only way clean water will make life better for him.

Pascal at the rehabilitated borehole.

"My family will have enough water for domestic use and [to] improve on their hygiene and sanitation practices at home," Pascal said. "This water point is going to save me time since I will no longer have to ride long distances to look for water, which was very tiresome."

The community held a dedication ceremony attended by locals as well as a few dignitaries. The village leader made a speech thanking everyone who contributed to the rehabilitation of the water point. Some people sang and danced to celebrate while others just started filling their jerrycans!

Rehabilitated Borehole Well

We worked with the community to determine the best possible site for this rehabilitation. After meetings and visits throughout the community, together we agreed that this borehole was the best option to work on.

Throughout the construction process, several households volunteered to host the drilling technicians, giving them a place to sleep and food to eat throughout their stay.

The work team pulled up the old pump, cleared out the well, reinstalled a new stainless steel pump, and built a new well pad to once again seal off the well water from surface-level contaminants.

We conducted a yield test and checked the water’s quality to ensure the well’s ease of access and safety. With great results, we handed over the rehabilitated well to the community. The well is already providing safe, reliable water for the community’s daily use.

Training

The first training session focused on financial planning. We mobilized the community through a series of meetings that sensitized them on the importance and purpose of saving. This included meetings dedicated to creating a community profile, where participants map the physical environment and stakeholders in their own community. We also ran a participatory vulnerability capacity assessment exercise. In this session, community members mapped out their shared risks and opportunities, including the water point breaking down.

Next, we scheduled the savings group training date with the community. We planned for a one-day training to form the savings group and discuss the best practices for maintaining and managing it.

We worked with the community to establish a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and a water user committee. The savings group set up a fund to provide small loans to each other and another fund they will use to pay for any repairs to the well if an issue arises. The group also agreed on a social fund that will provide grants to fellow group members and help them with funeral expenses or catastrophes such as fire damage. Our teams will provide follow-up training to support putting the savings group into practice while also offering continuous coaching in records management.

Additional training sessions focused on hygiene and sanitation at the personal, household, community, and environmental levels. In collaboration with the community facilitator and local leaders, we trained households on critical hygiene and sanitation facilities to build. These include latrines, dish racks, refuse pits, handwashing facilities, and bathing shelters. Our teams monitor these facilities’ construction while helping the community learn how to best use and care for them.

Finally, we led an additional training for local artisans to teach them how to fabricate and sell locally used and accepted sanitation products that allow for more hygienic and accessible latrines.

Just as with the financial training, we will continue to support the community in their sanitation and hygiene progress through monitoring visits. In addition, we will offer follow-up assistance and refresher training to ensure community members follow through in building their new facilities and developing new habits.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




January, 2022: Byerima Kyakabasarah Community Well Rehabilitation Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in the Byerima Kyakabasarah community drains people’s time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community through the introduction 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!


A Year Later: A Thriving Self-Help Group!

February, 2023

A year ago, your generous donation helped Byerima Kyakabasarah Community in Uganda access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Flavia. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Byerima Kyakabasarah Community.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Byerima Kyakabasarah Community maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

Before we rehabilitated the well in Byerima Kyakabasarah, getting water for the 900 people who lived here was a constant struggle.

13-year-old Flavia shared how difficult life was for her last year. "This borehole would over-break, and we had to walk over two kilometers away to collect water from Byerima Primary School, where we would meet with other children who would beat us and even take away our jerrycans. When [I] returned home, my mother would beat me for being careless and delaying at the water point. I really hated that experience."

But since we helped rehabilitate her local well last year, things have improved for Flavia.

"I now have enough time to rest and concentrate on other activities, as compared to before, since the borehole is even nearer to home," Flavia said. "I can collect water at any time I feel like. This water point has saved me from coming late [to] school. [I] am now able to concentrate while at school, and [I] am always smart since I have enough time and water to bathe and wash my uniforms in time."

Maintaining the well has also become easier for the adults in the community, which means life in Byerima should get better as time goes on.

"Getting water from this water point is no longer a challenge as compared to before because we now save towards its operation and maintenance," said 62-year-old Jennifer Wandera, who serves as the treasurer in the community's thriving self-help group. "This has enabled us to service it on [a] quarterly basis, and we no longer experience frequent breakdowns as before. The environment around the water point is clean and well-maintained, and I feel good each time I go to collect water. I really thank [you] for [the] intervention in this community."

"The self-help group that was formed in this village has brought unity within the village, and people always use [our] savings meeting as an avenue to resolve conflicts and unite the members," Jennifer continued.

"With the soap-making training that we received, we are able to sell the soap, and this has boosted our economic status, sanitation, and hygienic conditions of the people. We are also able to borrow small loans from our savings group at reduced interest rates, as compared to before when financial institutions would take over our assets and properties due to the high-interest rates imposed on us when getting loans from them," concluded Jennifer.

Flavia stands next to the well.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Byerima Kyakabasarah Community maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Byerima Kyakabasarah Community – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


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