The vice president of Uganda Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo launched the Water Aid Uganda country program strategy 2023 to 2028 as the organisation was also celebrating 40 years of existence at Speke Resort, Munyonyo.
The purpose of the strategy is to clarify, both internally and externally, how the organisation will contribute to increasing sustainable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) as well as eliminating inequalities.
This includes focusing on resources, capacity, and experience to maximize the impact. It is expected to contribute to the ambition of mobilising US$100m and seeing five million more people reached with sustainable and safe WASH in Uganda.
The Vice president highlighted that the proportion of the population using safely managed drinking water services is 72.3 % in urban areas and 67% in rural areas which indicates that there is still more work to be done to achieve universal access.
“The piped water main network system and gravity flow systems have significantly improved, in both urban and rural areas up from 37 rural and over 42 urban areas respectively,” she said.
Maj. (Rtd) Alupo also remarked that the government has now completed gravity flow schemes at Lirima in Manafwa, Lukalu-Kabasanda in Butambala, and Nyabuhikye-Kikyeke in Ibanda. She further noted that the piped water systems have also been constructed at Nyakabingo in Rukungiri, Kabuyanda in Isingiro, and Orom Water Supply System in Kitgum-Lamwo.
According to Alupo, the current financial year, has seen the government earmark resources for the construction of 1,540 boreholes in 1,050 villages and town wards; building 49 large, 67 medium, and 80 small piped water schemes in both urban and rural areas; and the rehabilitation and maintenance of 50 water systems in growth centers.
“The government through the Ministry of Water and Environment has recently restored and protected 7.4 km of riverbank areas within the river catchments of Sebwe in Kasese District, Tokwe in Bundibugyo District, and Semliki in Ntoroko District. And cumulatively since 2019/20, 444.8 km2 (44,480ha) of wetlands which were degraded have been recovered,” she remarked.
The Country Director of Water Aid Uganda Jane Mselle Sembuche said, the strategy is aligned with Uganda’s NDP IIl vision of seeing increased household incomes and improved quality of life for Ugandans.
“Standing on the fact that a healthy population is a productive one, water, sanitation, and hygiene services are critical to ensuring that this is realized, therefore when women are empowered, they can pursue, stable employment, poverty rates decrease, food insecurity decreases, and nutrition, overall wellness, stability of her family and communities increases,” she added.
“We have more than enough reasons for WaterAid Uganda to continue its operations in Uganda making water, sanitation, and hygiene a normal part of everyday life for everyone,” she asserted.
“We need sector-wide change, clearer accountability, services that respond to user needs, and full integration into related sectors such as health. We need to change from business as usual to business unusual. We need to see a paradigm shift across the board if we want to accelerate change. We need to see the WASH agenda integrated across all sectors, i.e. within the industry sector such as agriculture, tourism, education, health, science, climate change, and many more,” Sembuche stated.
Maurice Kwizera the Acting Regional Director of Water Aid East Africa remarked that global statistics indicate a sad reality that 1 in 10 people (more than 700 million people) lack access to safe water and 1 in 4 people (1.7 billion people) don’t have a good toilet, a situation that no one would find acceptable.
“To add on this, the current reality of climate change is putting the already stretched water resources and services under threat, and globally, the Official Development Assistance (ODA) disbursements to the water sector have been decreasing portraying 15% between 2015 and 2021, from US$9.6 billion to US$8.1 billion,” he said.
Kwizera also noted that millions of women and girls, children, and other people especially the most vulnerable, struggle every day to find clean water to drink, or a safe, hygienic toilet to use, and the cost of not having them is high for families and nations.
He therefore, raised an assurance that WaterAid remains committed to continue working with the government and all partners in strengthening the system, as the best strategy is only as good as its implementation.
According to Kwizera, the launched strategy is so ambitious and requires maintaining to enhance the collaboration over the next five years. “Water is life, sanitation is health, and hygiene is wealth. Let’s double down on our efforts to end the WASH crisis together – for everyone, everywhere in Uganda,” Kwizera concluded.
Since 1981, WaterAid has existed to work in partnerships to end the global water, sanitation, and hygiene crisis and help people realise their rights to such necessities. Currently, WaterAid works in 22 countries, Uganda being one of them.
Last year, WaterAid released the Global Strategy, an ambitious plan to reach 400 million people with sustainable and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) by acting as a catalyst for systemic change.
WaterAid Uganda’s new strategy will invest in mobilising the resources necessary to achieve the organisation’s aims, guided by the principles of results-based management. This will build on the strengths and potential of Ugandans and engage those passionate about driving and delivering a Uganda where everyone, everywhere has sustainable and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
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