The Need – Uganda

Many of the schools in the Kasese district of Uganda are currently in need of safe drinking water and improved sanitation and hygiene practises to improve the quality of life for the local children. This area is prone to flash flooding, which further complicates the safety of the local water supply. To begin assisting the local communities three schools have been identified with insufficient safe drinking water and a lack of sanitation (latrines) to maintain health and safety for children and families. These schools currently use the River Nyamwaba and River Naymokasana for their drinking water which are contaminated with human and animal waste and make the students susceptible to water borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera.

Teachers and students currently share inadequate latrines and girls do not have the privacy they need to use the bathrooms. Many girls in Uganda do not have access to menstrual pads and as a result they miss many weeks of school annually during menstruation.

The Solution

To provide access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation and hygiene practices for approx. 2,440 students. This project will include the construction of rain water harvesting systems, cement water storage tanks, hand washing facilities, and safe changing rooms for girls at all three schools, as well as ventilated and improve pit latrines at two schools.

In addition to latrines the project will construct changing rooms/safe bathrooms for girls at each of the three schools.  These changing rooms will provide girls and female teachers with bathroom privacy and safety during their menstruation period, enabling girls to feel safer attending school. This project will also provide access to and training on making re-usable menstrual pads (RUMPS) for female students which will increase their ability to attend for the entire school year. This will develop a clear platform for supporting and educating girls on menstrual hygiene.

The project will train water committees (comprised of teachers and parent-teacher association members) in each school on the maintenance of the new water tanks and latrines.

Measurable Impact

• Safe drinking water access for 2,440 students in 3 schools via rain water harvest systems and water tanks installed at each school.
• Safe ventilated pit latrines for both male and female students at 2 schools.
• Safe changing rooms/bathrooms in all 3 schools to enable female students and female teachers to have adequate privacy to use the restroom and care for their hygiene during their menstrual cycles.
• Empowerment of female students to be able to regularly attend school through the RUMPS program

Project Partners

MCC Uganda’s current WASH program and the South Rwenzori Diocese (SRC)

Budget