Water Access, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Project

In the past year, GlobeMed at UCLA covered the cost of repairs/replacements of five different villages water sources, a rain catchment system at Johnson Nkosi Primary School, as well as the development of a WASH manual and curriculum used by the Mpoma Community HIV/AIDS Initiative.

Currently, the construction of the rain catchment and three water sources is complete and the other two water sources are under way.

Through community engagement and enthusiasm about the project, five village Water User Committees have been formed. These committees consist of elected community members who oversee maintenance and upkeep of the water source, and are orientated by Mpoma on their duties. These committees are vital to the future of the sources, and their commitment to the WASH project is extremely promising. Each village has voluntarily started a Village Savings Fund to cover future maintenance costs, and villagers collectively decided to contribute 500 shillings per month per household. In this way, long-term functionality of the water source and the independence of villages from donors is insured. The communities will retain full ownership and thus responsibility for their sources, making this a sustainable, reliable solution to their previously limited water access.

GlobeMed at UCLA will be subsidizing the village savings funds over the next three years by matching how much is raised. Our current goal is to match the contributions of the villages 9:1 in this first year, 3:1 in 2015-2016, and 1:1 in 2016-2017. After this point, the villages will be fully independent and have the proper resources to easily cover maintenance, repairs and replacements. If not, they will be in a much more advantageous position to receive further assistance.

Mpoma is assisting the villages in opening savings accounts, and  will attend monthly meetings to gauge progress. They will be a consistent support system to the villages, offering advice and guidance in respect to upkeeping water sources, using the village funds, and educating on sanitation/hygiene.

Using the WASH manual developed last year, Mpoma is currently training villagers in proper sanitation and hygiene practices. GlobeMed at UCLA will be raising funds to provide more copies of the manual, add illustrations and diagrams, and translate it into the native Lugandan.

The Water User Committees, Local Leaders, and Mpoma Parish Chief all convened at Johnson Nkosi Primary School on November 4, 2014 to communicate the successes and needs for improvement for the WASH project. Peter, the Program Director at Mpoma, cited that everyone was extremely proactive and genuinely interested in finding the best way possible to move forward.

Consider investing in our chapter - you would be investing in countless lives and ultimately empowering communities to secure their own health without aid. All funding beyond what has been explicitly allocated will go to identifying and supporting other vulnerable villages in the Nama sub-county region who are in need of a repaired or replaced water source.

In the past year, GlobeMed at UCLA fundraised to cover the cost of repairs/replacements of five different villages water sources, a rain catchment system at Johnson Nkosi Primary School, as well as the development of a WASH manual and curriculum.

Currently, the construction of the rain catchment and two water sources is complete and the other three water sources are under way.

All five village water user committees were mobilised when the four UCLA interns were on the ground in Uganda. Since this summer, the committees have been orientated by Mpoma HIV/AIDS representatives to understand how to properly oversee the upkeep of their villages water source, and promote safer hygiene for all community members. Each village has decided collectively on a small monthly water user fee that each household pays to ensure proper upkeep and thus a sustainable future for their water source. GlobeMed at UCLA will be subsidizing the village savings funds over the next three years by matching how much is raised. Our current goal is to match the contributions of the villages 9:1 in this first year, 3:1 in 2015-2016, and 1:1 in 2016-2017. The fee serves a purpose beyond solely saving for the future as it actively hands villagers ownership of their source without donor dependency. When the time comes for repairs or replacements, villages will have the resources to pay for the services needed. If not, they will be in a much more advantageous position to receive further funding.

Mpoma is assisting the villages in opening savings accounts. They will attend monthly meetings to gauge progress as well as train the water user committees to effectively use the funds and properly oversee the sources.

Using the WASH manual developed last year, Mpoma is currently training villagers in proper sanitation and hygiene practices. GlobeMed at UCLA will be raising funds to provide more copies of the manual and translate it into the native Lugandan.

Once these fundraising goals are met, all other funding will go to identifying and supporting other vulnerable villages in the Nama sub-county region who are in need of a repaired or replaces water source.

This project will help the community progress towards a more prosperous future, so please support GlobeMed at UCLA and Mpoma Community HIV/AIDS Initiative as we aim to put life back into our partner community through the WASH Project!