Here is a little update from
After months of planning, our first project has finally begun and it would be a big lie to pretend we were anything but elated about it!
A couple months ago (after the video was finished), we were forced to abandon the idea of building communally managed rainwater harvesting tanks in the village setting. There are many reasons for this change in plan but most importantly, it is because these types of projects have failed before.
This is because the amount of water supplied in a 10,000 or 20,000 liter tank is si
mply too small to meet the large demand and causes more problems than it is able to solve (not to mention the difficulties that come with their management).
Also, as large surface areas (roofs) are needed to catch enough water to fill these tanks, most Ugandan homes typically quite small, and few villages possessing institutional roofs large enough to do the trick (school, church, district office, etc), yet more problems arise.
So, after much research and many conversations with various experts in the field (rainwater harvesting) from the
Our new project includes the training of 10 people from two villages (Kyakabalu & Buyanja) on how to build 4,000 liter tanks, all of them having been selected in community meetings (according to vulnerability and need). Out of the 10, all will learn the skill and five of them will be provided with the necessary materials to have their own tank.
In leaving this skill in the villages, the goal is that they will in 
turn be hired by their neighbors to build more tanks in the community. Through sensitization and the formation of savings groups (clustered according to income and capacity to work together), we hope to see a few more tanks spring up in the next couple of years which would truly make this project a success!
Because the need for clean water is so great in this particular area, the reduced costs of labor found with the new village ‘masons’, combined with the continued support and monitoring of savings groups which have been formed, will undoubtedly make the dream of clean water an real possibility for many households in the near future.
The two women who are teaching the villagers how to build them arrived last Saturday, which marked the official beginning of the last phase of our project, implementation. After finalizing the purchasing of materials on Sunday, they were brought to the village to begin their 4 week course. Every week, they are moving to a different house (where the necessary materials are waiting) and building one 4,000 liter tank. By the final week, those being trained will be able to construct one without their help. The fifth tank will be built solely by the villagers as the women will have returned to their homes.
Over the past two weeks, the five villagers who will be benefiting not only of the training, but
also of the tank have been working hard to contribute what they can in terms of locally available materials.
Each of the five households was able to collect three tons of aggregate (small stones) and one ton of hardcore (big stones) upon which each tank will be constructed. They have also prepared a room for the trainers who will be living with them in the village, while providing them with food and water for the duration of their stay.
It has been unbelievable to see the level of commitment on their parts in achieving the goals we had agreed to some time back. As of Monday, the first tank has been under construction at Violet’s home (a widow of 60 years of age).
The atmosphere on site is truly wonderful and everything is going extremely well. All in all, there are eight women and two men who are participating in the training, and a myriad of family members all eager to participate in any way they can. If only you could see….(but you will, we will have pictures and clips coming your way in the near future)
The second part of the project will officially begin in mid-February when the masons will arrive to begin construction. We have (with your help) raised enough funds to construct three 20,000 liter tanks and one 10,000 liter tank at three schools and one orphanage center respectively. We have already been engaging the various school management committees in terms of commitments to this project.
All schools (and orphanage) have agreed to amass the necessary stones (like the villages, only more), provide unskilled labor for 2 weeks (duration of construction) to help the masons (as well as their food and shelter). Moreover, they will be attending two separate seminars we (an expert) will be offering them, the first concerning sustainable management for the committees, and the second with hygiene and sanitation for the headmasters, science teachers, and selected students from each school (‘water captains’).
Regarding the later, the teachers will in turn, sensitize the school’s students on the various topics discussed in the seminar. The school management committees have also agreed to sensitizing the parents about the on-going project and also collect 2,000 USH ($ 1.2 ) from each household as a contribution (all of these steps are aimed at fostering a sense of ownership within the beneficiaries) to this project.
Over the next two weeks, we will be monitoring the schools to make sure all materials and money has been collected when the masons arrive (the new term begins on Monday). We are confident this will go very well as all parties have assured us not only of their need for water, but complete commitment to this project. Both the village and school projects will end in the beginning of March….
We will keep you posted! Lots of love from
