Because of its past success in improving access to safe water in Uganda, the Ugandan government asked The WASH Foundation to expand its positive impact to five additional parishes in the Tororo district of eastern Uganda by implementing its WASH-in-Schools and WASH-in-Healthcare Facilities programming as well as a micro-finance program focused on menstrual hygiene management.
Thanks to the Foundation’s 2019-2020 impact in the Tororo District community of Merikit, the contraction of WASH-related diseases dropped from 40% to 5%, the mortality rate of children under 5 went down, and the area saw a steady improvement of its residents’ livelihood, due to improved education on, and implementation of, hygiene and sanitation behaviors. The WASH Foundation’s efforts contributed to Merikit’s population increasing by 10%, turning the trading center community into a municipality.
The 2023 Program, which will reach 21,600 individuals, was made possible by the Foundation’s new partnership with the local Bukedi Diocese Church of Uganda and will be implemented in several phases.
As part of Phase I of the project, we met with members of each community and learned about the challenges they face relating to Sustainable Development Goal #6 (SDG-#6) – Clean Water and Sanitation. We interviewed students to understand their knowledge of, attitude towards, and practices of WASH. We also evaluated the current problems related to community boreholes and spring-fed water systems, as well as sanitation facilities. This helped us gain a baseline understanding of the needs and challenges associated with access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. With this valuable information in hand, we are currently developing a customized solution for each community in each parish.
To better understand the current challenges faced by women and their families in Uganda, we invite you to watch this video testimonial from Nurse Jessica Adeke from Kwapa Health Centre III. This particular facility currently has no other choice when it comes to finding safe water but to collect rainwater or share limited water sources, such as boreholes or springs, with hundreds of families, as well as livestock. For this reason, staff members like Jessica often spend their days walking to bring life-saving water back to the Healthcare Center.
A gift of $100 can provide access to soap and handwashing education to school students at one of the Tororo schools for a whole month! Help us expand our programs and extend our reach into more vulnerable communities in Uganda.
