Summary
Install rainwater harvesting systems at 10 rural households
Background
UCOBAC with other development partners have been working with organised communities of the rural areas in Mityana district, Uganda since 1994. The proposed intervention is just a continuation of UCOBAC work and utilises the experience gained from past work. In all UCOBAC interventions in communities, water issues stand out. Communities always cry out on water issues since "Water IS Life" to everybody!
The basic problem in most rural areas in Uganda can be long distances travelled by women and children to access water and also the poor distribution of the wells and springs withing villages. Many homes are very far from these water sources making especially the elderly members of communities totally unable to access water1 Provision of training and financial assistance to women-led households has proven to be a viable way to contribute to improved welfare of families in the Ugandan context.
In 1994, UCOBAC implemented a water project in Kumi District in Eastern Uganda by protecting fourteen (14) shallow wells and springs for rural communities that were faced with serous water shortages. The local communities fully participated in the implementation of this project by providing local materials like stones, sand, poles etc and also provided labour by them taking part in the manual work involved. Local leaders supported by project and thus even to-day those wells still stand out. They are well maintained and protected by the local leadership.
Location
Uganda, East Africa, UgandaFocus
Primary Focus: Drinking Water - Community
Secondary Focus: Drinking Water - Households
People Getting Safe Drinking Water: 100
Ten households of ten people each, one man,one woman, two youth and six children.
School Children Getting Water:
People Getting Sanitation: 100
Six children per household, two youth and one woman and one man per household - 100
People Getting Other Benefits: 20
Start Date: 2009-01-10
Completion Date: 2009-06-30
Technology Used:
UCOBAC, with this past experience, will do the same to the people of Mityana by sensitising them on the importance and the need of rain water harvesting. Many members of our communities are seen trecking long distances looking for water soon after it has just rained! This will have to stop. UCOBAC intends to create awareness and make sure each of the households trains and adapts one of the technologies on rain water harvesting. Communities need just a little push by providing skills and a small start up capital and they can do wonders. UCOBAC chose the rainwater catchment using polythene sheets on grass roofed houses, erecting an iron sheet on four poles in a slanting position, or harvesting water using plastic water tanks placed under the roofs that have ridges directing water into the tanks. These tanks are different sizes so you can buy the size equivalent to ones funds available. Unfortunately, all these technologies require good sums of money because building materials have become expensive. Anyhow, we shall do what we can with the little that is available!
Project Co-ordinators:
The Project Co-ordinator will be Ms Matilda Nabukone. she is a long serving staff at UCOBAC who has a Diplomma in Social Development and Community work. She has worked for communities since 1999 when she worked with Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) and later in 2002 joined UCOBAC to head the Capacity Building Programme. She participated in UCOBAC water protection project which protected fourteen (14) spring nd shallow wells in Kumi district, in eastern Uganda.
It is UCOBAC policy that beneficiaries for any project are taken through intensive training on health issues where water and sanitation falls. Matilda has participated in many of such trainings and will therefore manage to run the project effectively.
UCOBAC intends to pilot the rain water harvesting project in Mityana district where Matilda is also implementing a Grandmothers' Empowerment project. We have already decided that the first beneficiariesof the rain water catchment technologieswill be the grandmothers since they are the most vulnerable to long distance walking in search for safe drinking water.
The Focal Point Person wll be UCOBAC staff already working with the communities in Mityana district. He is bornfrom Mityana and therefore understands his communities very well. He has shown interest byt he successes he has registered with the micro-finance project he is implementing.
The Community's Own Resource Persons (CORPs), some of whom have already participated in past UCOBAC activities are a committed team.
Phases:
No. UCOBAC normally phrases into the following phases:
1. Project design - Planning Phase
2. Implementation phase - Activities
3. Monitoring and Evaluation
Community Organization:
UCOBAC already has organised groups of households who are participating in other UCOBAC projects. Four homes make a Solidarity Group (SG). Through these Solidarity Groups which are headed by a Community"s own Resource Person called CORP, UCOBAC provides, awareness creation, trainings to the beneficiaries. The local leaders of the communities are very much involved in the project right from the start which makes them own the project for sustainable purposes. UCOBAC will involve local leaders and opinion leaders in day to day monitoring of the project to make them own the project.
Government Interaction:
Ancillary activities:
UCOBAC will have employ the services of either skilled or unskilled people to assist the beneficiaries in construction of the technologies. We shall require maintenance training or those monitoring and the target group.
Other Issues:
The issue of clean and safe water provision to the communities should be emphasised in all development programmes be by Government or civil society organisations. You cannot have a healthy person, family, community or nation without making sure they are free the rampant water-borne diseases and cutting down on time wasted by more than half the population trecking long diseases in search for water.
Maintenance Revenue:
UCOBAC will improve on this proposal by making it more elaborate and holistic by taking in more households in order to fundraise and implement a project that will really show impact. We do believe that "small is beautiful" so we intend to use this project as a model for a larger programme on water and sanitation. Ownership is never a problem with UCOBAC projects because communities together with their local leaders are always involved right from the design of the project. This makes the communities own the project. In this case each household will be expected to maintain their own structures to make sure they continue to serve them well.
Maintenance Cost: $500
Metrics:
Prior art before metrics
Cost: $35,000
Project design - 5000
Sensitisation workshops 3000
Trainings - 8000
Advocacy - 5000
Grants - 5000
Monitoring and Evaluation - 3000
Administrative costs - 6000
Co Funding Amount: $250
Community Contribution Amount: $100
Labour, Land, Staff time,