Water is fundamental to improving sanitation and hygiene practices, serving as the essential medium for cleaning and sanitation.
Access to clean water enables effective handwashing, a crucial hygiene practice that significantly reduces the spread of infectious diseases. Furthermore, water is vital for proper sanitation, including waste disposal and preventing the contamination of water sources.
Hagenimana, Deputy Head Teacher, Muyenje Primary School in Kiboga District
Hagenimana Denis, Deputy Head Teacher, Muyenje Primary School says for Many years, the school management and pupils have been using dirty water from ponds in the area which has paused challenges.
He notes that the school management considered charging pupils Ugshs2000 to buy water they would use at school. Unfortunately, some parents didn’t welcome the initiative and many considered change of school.
Pupils at Muyenje Primary school while washing thier hands
Mr. Hagenimana says this saw numbers of pupils dwindle from 285 to 240.
“We are very glad that Heifer International has brought water close to us. We can now acess clean and safe water, and pupils who had left the school are now coming back,” he explains.
He states; “teachers were sharing water with animals around, and during the dry season, water is scarce that we are forced to pay for this dirty water. We would spend 200,000 Uganda shillings to buy a tank of 10,000 litters that we would use for two to three weeks. But after getting that water from Heifer, we do not incur any cost, the water is clean and accessible”, he said and further explained,
“We are no longer sharing water with animals, and we’re using it for cooking, for drinking and also keeping girls in school. Some girls had gone away because there was no clean water used in changing rooms especially during menstrual periods. “ He emphasizes.
Byakagaba, the incharge of Muyenje Health Centet II
Byakagaba Henry, the in-charge at Muyenje Health Centet II, says that they used to have very many patients of diarrhea and typhoid due to dirty water that community was using.
“Since this water project was given to us, those conditions cases drastically reduced, nowadays, you may spend the whole month without even getting conditions of typhoid and diarrhoea.”
Muyenje Health Center II in Kiboga District
He says before the project, they would register 20 cases of diarrhoea and typhiod in a month, but now they have reduced to about 2 a month
The Project;
Heifer International (HPI) with funding support from Aqua for All, is implementing the Water for Dairy Business (W4DB) Project at Dwaniro Dairy Cooperative in Kiboga District in Uganda since 2022.
Water project
The solar system pumped water is distributed to Muyenje community making Muyenje Primary School a beneficiary. This project has ensured access to safe and clean water for over 2000 community farming and non- farming members, which fits into Heifer International’s goal of supporting farming families to have an improved livelihood.
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