A deep well at Te-Ongora Primary School in northern Uganda will bring safe water to over 1,000 students and staff. Trainings on management of the water source, promotion of gender equality and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene practices.
Narrative
After obtaining quotes from three local drilling companies, Lifewater's local partner contracted the drilling of the deep borehole and hand pump installation at Te-Ongora Primary School. This drilling is part of Lifewater's ongoing three-year program in northern Uganda providing safe water, adequate sanitation, and effective hygiene in schools and communities. The project includes 10 deep wells, 102 shallow wells, and 80 hand pump repairs. Te-Ongora is one of 31 schools in the program and one teacher from the school was trained in Lifewater's WASH in Schools curriculum. The school has now formed a functioning health club in which students learn and teach their peers the basic building blocks to better health.
Sustainability
Creating and measuring long-term impact
The school is trained in water source management and helped to form a Water Source and Sanitation Committee comprising of students, teachers, and parents. The inclusiveness of the committee fosters a sense of ownership of the water source by all stakeholders and increases their commitment to protecting and maintaining the well. In total, 819 people attended the training and determined a monthly amount to be contributed per student and per family which will be deposited into a bank account the school has opened to save up for future maintenance of the well.
Learnings
Knowledge of project and process for sharing
Having already been trained in Lifewater's primary school WASH curriculum, the students and teachers were well aware of the consequences of the contaminated water they were using. They were very eager to get access to safe water, and thus very willing to do whatever is necessary to ensure the water stays safe.
This project has reinforced Lifewater's method of supplementing all water interventions with hygiene and sanitation trainings.
Impact
People Impacted: 1110
School Children Getting Water: 1000
Although the school student population is 1,110, Lifewater caps the number of students benefiting from access to a school borehole 1,000. Access is defined as approximately 3 L/day of water for drinking and hand washing, according to Sphere standards. Boreholes with hand pumps have 16.6 L/m average flow rate. If sustained for an average of 3 working hours per day, the number of school beneficiaries per water point with hand pump should not exceed 1000 people.
People Getting Other Benefits: 1110
Supplementary trainings benefit the entire student population of 1,110. These trainings include support setting up a Water Source and Sanitation Committee to protect and maintain the water source. Trainings also cover important water, sanitation, and hygiene practices such as hand washing at critical times, use of latrines, and keeping water safe.
