Community Water Sources Making a Difference in Eastern Uganda

Accessing clean water is still a challenge in many parts of rural Uganda. Many people, often women and girls, regularly travel long distances on foot to draw water from sources which can be unclean and unsafe. Aside from the negative impact this can have on health, time spent collecting water affects time which could be spent in education, earning an income or caring for families.

Corine Anyeka, 23, says that before GOAL introduced the community tap at her doorstep in Kyabakaire community, Bugiri district, eastern Uganda she used to walk over 2 kilometers in search of water from the neighboring village.

“This was often dirty water we collected from the swamps. In turn, our children especially the young ones under five-years-old, often experienced frequent diarrhea outbreaks,” she recalls.

Seeing this need, GOAL Uganda’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme began working with community members to find a sustainable solution. They work to improve access to clean, safe water for communities in Bugiri and Namayingo districts in eastern Uganda, over 150 kilometers from the country’s capital, Kampala.

Water-user committee members meeting at the water source in Kyabakaire village to discuss how to best utilise the facility.

Time to Move Forward

At the new local tap stand, women, men, and children are patiently waiting to fetch water. Protected by fencing to avoid damage from animals and vehicles, the water source has no long queues of people waiting their turn. The water-pressure is high, enabling people to fill their containers in under a minute and make way for others. This local, high-pressure water source significantly reduces time spent collecting water, enabling people to care for their families and earn a living.

Handed over for full maintenance by the community in May 2021, the tap is a sustainable, solar powered water system. The water system was installed by GOAL with funding from charity: water and supplies clean water to over 600 people from about 120 households in Kyabakaire and neighboring villages.

In the past year, GOAL Uganda reached over 15,600 people with water and sanitation interventions.