Nyakabungo Kabingo Lifewater Distribution October 2022
Sponsored by The Aall Foundation
Introduction:
Kabingo 1 village is found in Kamwenge town which is in the western part of Uganda. According to the Uganda water Atlas data, water access rates in Kamwenge vary from 57 % in Bwizi Sub-County to 95 % in Kahunge Sub-County. Most of population is served by shallow wells. These are mainly government funded and serve 43% of the population. Of these many are non-functional due to mainly technical breakdowns. With open water sources, the population consists is exposed to access to unsafe water. Lifewater, with funding support from The Aall Foundation, provided 125 homesteads in Kabingo 1 with Lifewater filtration systems to enable them access safe and clean drinking water.
Pre-visit:
The area Lifewater mobilisers identified beneficiaries and had a sensitization meeting prior to the distribution. The beneficiaries’ selection criteria were based on those that were far from protected water sources, multi denominational and gender inclusive.
During the pre-visit training the beneficiaries were told about the Lifewater filtration systems they were to receive and they were also informed about the measurement of the proper stands using locally available material which are required for their Lifewater systems to work well. During this session the beneficiaries were allowed to ask questions for them to understand the help they were to receive.
It was wonderful to note that when the teams did a spot-check to see if the beneficiaries had made proper stands, it was found out most of the beneficiaries went to their homes and made proper stands according to the dimensions that had been shared. A few were helped by the team to make the stands firm.
During the pre-visit, the beneficiaries were informed the specific dates when they would receive. This was to help the team with crowd control. 65 beneficiaries were to receive on the first day and 60 on the second day.
Despite the rain most of the beneficiaries adhered to this which helped us finish the distribution in time.
Distribution:
The Lifewater core team lead by Pastor Laban Mbabazi met in Kamwenge on 19th October and carried out the distribution on the 20th and 21st of October, 2022. It was supported by the area Local council chairperson, Village Health team members and Lifewater field monitors.
On each distribution, day detailed training of beneficiaries was carried out. This included the following topics;
- How the system works
- How to set up the system
- How to clean and maintain the system
- How to maintain proper water and sanitation health in homes while using the kits
- Question and answer session
The distribution training was very successful and we believe the beneficiaries will be able to set the kits on their own and use them correctly.
After 1 week the monitoring team will carry out spot-check monitoring visits to ensure that the beneficiaries set up their systems well.
Challenge:
It rained very heavily on the second day which disrupted our distribution for most of the morning. We were however pleased that the village members still came during the rain to the distribution centre. This showed a level on commitment and acceptance of the Lifewater kits – not even the heavy rain would deter them from coming to the distribution venue!
Communication from village leaders:
The area leaders and community members extended their sincere gratitude to Lifewater and The Aall Foundation for the support they have received in their area. The affirmed that they will involve themselves in monitoring of the systems so that the intended goal is achieved.