A borehole in Kisozi

Kisozi is located in Kamuli district, East Uganda. The community is poor: many people don't have a job and the people who do have a job mostly work in the field of agriculture. AIDS has hit the community hard: many children have lost their parents to AIDS. Many people in the community still don't have enough knowledge about AIDS and it is necessary to educate the community about the importance of hygiene, proper use of latrines and the importance of safe drinking water. The roles between men and women are very traditional: women are responsible for running the family, household chores, fetching water, working on the land. At this moment, more than 1000 have to share one source of water, resulting in too little access to clean water, long rows, far distances that women and children walk several times a day to get water, which is not always safe and very time consuming. The call for help comes from the community itself and the community has shown great feelings of responsibility.

Goals overview

To build a borehole which will give the community access to clean and safe drinking water which will contribute to improving health of people and safety for women who otherwise need to walk far to another source and to educate the community about hygiene, the use of safe drinking water through which awareness, knowledge and feelings of responsibility are created amongst the community.

Current status

Hope Alive Uganda partners with GGNET to raise the first 1000 euros for building the borehole. GGNET runs an action and through selling bottles of water of which a percentage of the profits will go to this project the first 1000 euros can be raised. GGNET enabled Hope Alive Uganda to conduct a first training on hygiene, safe use of water and latrines, safe drinking water in October 2009. Impulsis has become a support partner for Hope Alive Uganda. However, Hope Alive Uganda needs to raise the last part of the costs for building the borehole and wishes to train the community once more by offering the community a follow up training about hygiene, the use and maintenance of a borehole, safe use of water etc. A water comittee which will be a platform for the community and which makes sure the community will continue to feel responsible for the proper use and maintenance of the borehole was installed in August 2010.

Project plan

At this moment, more than 1000 people in the area have to make use of one source in the area. Women and children have to come from very far several times a day, walking and carrying jerrycans. A borehole will give the community not only access to safe drinking water and thus improve their health, it will contribute to women's safety as women don't have to walk so far anymore. It will give women the opportunity to balance their time and other tasks in their families better. It also contributes to improving school results of children as those children will have more time to spend on homework etc. since they don't have to walk very far anymore which is time consuming.

Expected outcomes

• 1 borehole which can be used by 750 people
• Education on water, hygiene, maintenance for the community

Hope Alive Uganda will remain responsible for the overall project. A water committee will be responsible for monitoring the proper use and maintenance of the borehole by the community. It will be responsible for keeping in contact with the community and making sure the community will continue to feel the responsibility they have shown up till now. It will also be responsible for balancing the amounts the families pay each year which will be saved to use it to repair the borehole when necessary in the future. Hope Alive Uganda will keep in touch with both the water committee and the community. The feelings of responsibility that the community has shown up till now is the key of success of this project. A proper company will be responsible for the building of the borehole (Ugandrill).