WASH

Contextual Analysis

According to the latest estimates of the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP), 32% of the world’s population – 2.4 billion people – lacked improved sanitation facilities, and 663 million people still used unimproved drinking water sources in 2015. Inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more.

Although Uganda has made improvements in access to safe water over the last few years, there is a considerable number of people that lack access to an improved water source especially in rural areas. Uganda’s large youthful population and high fertility rate is expected to strain the provision of basic services, such as water. The national water coverage is 64% and the sanitation coverage is 74.6%. It is estimated that 15% of water points are non-functional in Uganda (MWE, 2014). Each bore hole cost approximately USD: 8,000, representing a significant loss of investment.

The demands on resources to maintain these hard fought for gains are being seriously challenged and there is an increasing imperative to use local resources more effectively, which requires that such investments should be demand driven and where communities understand their responsibilities for basic services.

Water and sanitation facilities in Uganda’s schools remain badly underfunded, inadequate and under-maintained, leading to many detrimental impacts on the ability of children to stay in schools and lift themselves out of poverty. In Uganda, sanitation coverage at schools has actually decreased over the recent years, as demonstrated by the decrease in the pupil to latrine stance (cubicle) ratio from 57:1 in 2004/05 to 70:1 in 2013/14. In addition hand washing in schools is still very low, 38% in 2013/2014

Our Strategic approach

We will contribute to reduction in morbidity and mortality rates associated with water related diseases through Sustainable WASH services. Ronlilley Foundation will address the ‘three prongs’ of WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) as an integrated programme and in collaboration with other partners.

Interventions will be designed and selected so that they are appropriate to the specific circumstances of the people (particularly the most vulnerable) and the location. The programs will not only address existing needs of communities, but also be designed to reduce the vulnerability of communities to future hazards while addressing immediate water, sanitation and hygiene needs of the populations in a sustainable way through strengthening capacities, encouraging positive attitudes and behavior change at the community and strengthening capacities at the district levels to support operation and maintenance of WASH services.

Both community led approaches like CLTS, DRA and market based approaches (Market Driven Public Private Partnership Approach for O&M, sanitation marketing) will be used to ensure improvement in the quality of life of the most vulnerable. The focus will on be on increasing access to quality water, sanitation and hygiene among vulnerable communities.

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) In 2010, the UN explicitly recognized clean water and sanitation as a human right, fundamentally tied to the right to survival. In Uganda, the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) and the MoH are responsible for setting national policies and standards, managing and regulating water sources and determining priorities for water development and management. Development partners contribute to the water and sanitation sub-sector by mobilizing funds, supporting water and sanitation infrastructure development, and building the capacity of communities to demand, develop and maintain WASH facilities. However, a 2013 review by the National Sanitation Working Group noted that insufficient funding for sanitation from the district conditional grant remains a major roadblock to the roll-out of large-scale sanitation programs. National and international civil society organizations therefore continue to play an important role in mobilising funds for water programmes (MWE, 2013). The main challenges to providing access to water, sanitation and hygiene are related to declining sector funding from 3.2% in 2012/13 to 2.8% in 2013/14 (MWE, 2014); lack of ownership; inadequate operations and maintenance; inadequate capacity of institutions, particularly the local government’s capacity to utilize allocated funds; and low private sector capacity, especially in relation to availability of spare parts for maintenance of water facilities. 

The main demand-side barrier preventing adequate hygiene is lack of awareness about the importance of hygiene and hand washing (MWE, 2013). In addition, high enrolment levels have put a strain on school sanitation and hygiene facilities in areas where authorities have not budgeted for increased numbers of users, leaving the pupil to stance ratio at 70:1 in 2013. Other demand-side factors affecting access to water include location, vandalism and the financial inability for some families to pay user fees.