Kabarole marks World Water Day in style

World Water Day celebration in Kabarole District was an upbeat affair, with presentations of poems, songs and dramas by primary school children. The hand pump mechanics had their own minutes of fame when they presented a five-minute drama on M4W. To add to the fanfare, there were exhibitions depicting innovations and technologies.   The Hand Pump Mechanics Association (HPMA) showed off their repair kits; Mountains of the Moon University  showed of a water purification system while HEWASA displayed a rope pump, while the  Development Technology Workshop exhibited rain water harvesting technology. 

Other organisations like IRC/Triple-S, Protos and Tooro botanical gardens went cinematic and presented documentaries on different themes.  

IRC/Triple-S basked in the limelight when the District chairperson  LCV Mr. Richard Rwabuhinga used our documentation of Omuhiigo (The New Vision 22 March 2012, Page 29) as a reference during the launch of the strategy. He hailed IRC/Triple-S intervention in the district and expressed optimism that sustainability of water sources would become a reality in the near future. Mr Rwabihunga had earlier had featured on the radio talk show sponsored by Triple-S, where he mobilized all listeners to pay user fees and support the efforts of the extension staff. Triple-S has over the last two weeks been airing radio programmes in Rwenzori and Lango regions, educating the public about their roles and responsibilities in the management of water sources.

WASH Sector in crisis

With 2.2 million people dying annually owing to WASH-related causes, a humanitarian crisis is looming!
http://bit.ly/wT3jAr

The 6th World Water Forum opened in Marseille with the welcome news that the world had attained the MDG target of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water way ahead of the 2015 deadline. However, another 800 million people in the world are yet to share in that success. http://bit.ly/xcG4Ja 

Children of St Martin School in Marseille stage a performance during the opening of the 6th WWF. Photo by Lydia Mirembe/IRC Triple-S

Water MDG target met well ahead of the 2015 deadline

The world has met the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving
the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water, well ahead
of the MDG 2015 deadline. This is the key message in a UNICEF/WHO report
'Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation, 2012
Update'<http://www.unicef.org/wash/files/JMPreport.pdf> issued on 6th of
March.

Soft loans for water users

Lives are changing in Lira district, northern Uganda. The monthly fees collected by water users are now being used for a loan scheme. This practice which started in Kamwenge district, Rwenzori Region, is now fast picking pace in other parts of  Uganda. Here are some interesting testimonies from Lira district
http://www.waterservicesthatlast.org/Countries/Uganda-Triple-S-initiative/News-events/Changing-lives-A-water-users-loan-scheme-in-Lira-Northern-Uganda

Rwenzori Regional Learning event underway

By Lydia Mirembe

The second Rwenzori Regional Learning even is underway at the Tooro resort in Kabarole district. Organised by the Rwenzori WASH Alliance, The learning event has attracted a wide range of actors including: District local government officials from the seven  Rwenzori districts; Non-government organisations, Community based organisations (CBOs), media and academia. The event has also attracted participants from Lango region, who have come to learn from this process as they prepare their own learning event scheduled for March. Key among the presentations so far made is one which provides an overview of learning as an approach towards improved WASH service delivery.  Several questions always remain unanswered: what is learning? How do you know that “learning” has happened? Who leads the learning process? ...... Part of the Rwenzori learning forum will attempt to provide answers to these questions. More later!

Unity in the O & M Cause

Maintenance of water sources is every user's business. However, in many parts of rural Uganda, water users do not want to participate in operation and maintenance activities. On January 17th, a team from Triple-S Uganda visited Omito Borehole in Awire Alem village, Boroboro East, Adekwokok sub-county, where we found the users very busy tending their source. In this community, users have a designated day every month where they come together and clean up the areas surrounding their borehole. This practice ought to be promoted. 

Men repair a fence around the Omito borehole. 

Photo by Lydia Mirembe/Triple-S Uganda