This is the first of a new series of stories from Uganda written by Kisembo Asuman, programme co-ordinator for the Simavi-funded water and sanitation project of the  Community Empowerment Initiative (CEI). Co-facilitated by IRC and Simavi.

Introducing Kisembo Asuman

Kisembo is 28 years old, a Ugandan by nationality, Mutooro by tribe. He lives in a town called Fort Portal in Western Uganda. He is married and has a 2 1/2 year old daughter. Kisembo has worked with CEI since 2000, initially as a volunteer with some members in the organisation because I was encouraged by those members due to the experience I had in with HEWASA projects. From 1999-2000 he worked with HEWASA as a project officer in charge of community mobilisation and programming for activities in the field.

CEI registered as an NGO in September 2001. It has 10 staff members and works closely with Local Councils. Besides the Simavi funded water and sanitation project, CEI has implemented a hygiene education project in 2001-2002, an emergency preparedness and response project and a HIV/AIDS control project funded by the local government.

A field visit in Mabale Parish

Kyamuhamira village is one of the villages in Mabale parish where CEI has implemented one of the Simavi funded projects. I have made a visit to one of the homes, this was done for the purpose of a follow up on projects implemented by CEI. The projects include water sources and sanitation at households level.

So one of the homes I visited where I found the wife and husband called Mr. And Mrs. Kifaro plus their two daughters. I talked to them regarding my aim of the visit. They told me about their maintenance of the sanitation facilities being done. Mr. Kifaro said that it is everybody’s role in this home to keep the sanitation facilities proper and clean: “My wife and children plus I myself, we maintain the facilities”. I went ahead and requested him to take me around his home and view the sanitation structures. He took me around and his structures were well maintained and very clean.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family latrine

I had to proceed to a water source (shallow well) where I found the handle was broken. There were also a few people (women and children) trying to collect water using the short handle which had remained on the pump.

I asked them what was the cause for the break of the handle. They said the handle broke because children were playing on it. The money they had been collecting is with the water source committee, but it is not enough to buy a new handle and they were still saving some more funds for immediate attention to buy a new handle. At the moment they were saving a little more than what was agreed by water source committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child operating handpump

When I told our CEI staff about this, we were extremely happy to hear it and that their efforts on trainings and seminars on the project were not wasted. This is an indicator that the project is being sustainable.

Impact on health and poverty in Mabale Parish

A lot of change has been brought to the area when CEI started implementing this Simavi funded project. In an area where communities used to suffer from water and sanitation related diseases like malaria, typhoid, worms. Today, these diseases no longer exist in Mabale Parish, though in other places where CEI has not implemented people still suffer from these diseases. Children are more vulnerable to them. Communities in Mabale Parish have learnt approaches of improving hygiene and sanitation at house hold level and are already practising what they were trained by CEI staff.

Communities now drink safe water unlike the past days where they used to drink unsafe water from unprotected water sources and water which was not boiled.

Also the expenditure for families has decreased. Where they used to spend most of their money on medical treatment.  The above information was based on the findings from my second visit to project area where I met different stake holders like the area local council III, Mr. Byaruganda John, and sub county Chief Mr. Bagenda Isreal who are local leaders of the area in Nkoma sub county, and some community members I met during my visit.

 

 

 

 

 

Kisembo Asuman, programme co-ordinator, Community Empowerment Initiative (CEI), Uganda