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African Well Fund 2003 Water Projects

This report provides information on the activities of the African Well Fund Project
from inception to September 30, 2003.

To read the 2004 Wells Proposal click here

Thank you to Africare for pictures and progress report.

UPDATE RECEIVED DECEMBER 2004

The African Well Fund recently received an update from Africare on the status of the 14 wells funded by the 2003 Bono Birthday Well campaign.
The wells funded by this campaign have helped more than 12,000 community members in Ntungamo to access safe protected water within 100 meters of their household. The project has targeted the neediest of the needy. Africare reports that the wells sites have been well maintained and that residents have creatively added other projects like vegetable nursery units, fish ponds and cattle drinking troughs. The pump handles have been protected with locally designed poles which support it and help extend the lifespan of the handles.

Below is a descriptive list of the sites and their status:

No	Water Source Location	No Served	Status Report
1	Kikoni Shallow well	450	The site has been well maintained, water user committee in place, fence present
2	Ibumba Shallow well	400	Well maintained, outlet been well designed to cater for cattle drinking trough.
3	Kabananiye Shallow well	390	Well maintained and functional
4	Nyaburiiza shallow well	420	Well maintained
5	Omukayanja shallow well	400	Well maintained
6	Kashenyi Spring	380	Working well, communities designed nursery gardens around the site
7	Kanyankungu spring	390	Well maintained, so many beneficiaries, will need another site
8	Nyakabaga spring tank	510	Well maintained
9	Buhanama shallow well	510	Site good, located near town center, pump handle was broken due to many people using the well but now they collected a water user fee and repaired it.
10	Nyarubaare shallow well	400	Well maintained
11	Kyamugashe spring tank	540	Well maintained, used by soldiers in the barracks and community members
12	Omukabaare spring	370	Well maintained
13	Buhumiriro spring	300	Well maintained
14	Ibaare Shallow well	320	Well maintained, community here creatively designed an animal water trough

Table below presents the list of sites and the progress to September 30, 2003:

	Water source location	Parish	Sub County	Number of people served
Completed Sites
1	Ibumba Shallow Well	Mukoni	Ngoma	540
2	Kikoni Shallow Well	Kikoni	Ntungamo TIC	470
3	Kabananiye Shallow well	Kiyanja	Ngoma	420
4	Nyaburiiza Shallow well	Nyaburiiza	Ntungamo SIC	460
Sites Where work is in progress
5	Omukayanja Shallow well	Kiyanja	Ngoma	300
6	Kashenyi Spring	Buhanama	Itojo	400
7	Kanyakungu Spring	Itojo	Itojo	320
8	Nyakabaga Spring tank	Mugyera	Ngoma	500
Sites where work will commence this week
9	Buhanama Shallow well	Buhanama	Itojo	300
10	Nyarubaare Spring tank	Ntungamo S/C	Ntungamo	470
11	Kyamugashe Spring tank	Kabungo	Rweikiniro	300
12	Mutanoga Spring	Kizaara	Ntungamo S/C	280
13	Rusharara Spring	Ruhama	Ruhama	380
14	Omungyenyi Shallow Well	omungyenyi	Rubaare	520

CONSTRUCTION OF SPRINGS:

Construction work is underway in three spring sites: Kanyankungu (Itojo), Nyakabaga (Ngoma), and Kashenyi Spring( Itojo). Work is to start on one spring located in Kyamugashe (Rwekiniro) and Nyarubaare (Ntungamo sub-county). Work will commence on the remaining two shallow well sites and four springs.

Omukiyanya Well site before the well was constructed.

Nyakabaga Spring site before protection

PARTICIPATORY WATER SITUATION ANALYSIS:

In order to identify the existing water sources, Ntungamo District local government staff and Africare conducted water situation analyses in the target sub-counties. The communities were located in areas that were susceptible to drought and/or the water was contaminated with severe water borne illnesses. Community members in the targeted areas were mobilized to identify the appropriate technologies applicable to solve their current water situation.

Mukoni shallow well before any activity on site. This picture shows the animal water trough and the pond where the community was fetching water.

Mukoni site as materials are being gathered for construction.

MOBILIZATION OF THE LOCAL MATERIALS AND PUMPS:

At each well site a Water User Committee was formed. The comnittees were educated on sanitation messages and the importance of collecting a water user fee; and were trained on water site maintenance. The water committees mobilized their respective communities to gather the local materials on the sites, in order to initiate their sense of ownership. U3 pumps and other locally unavailable fittings were purchased from Kampala. All the communities responded with such enthusiasm that in less than six days, all required materials were gathered.

DISTRICT OFFICIALS INAUGURATE WORK ON THE FIRST SITE, MUKONI:

Construction work on the U3 Pump mounted hand dug wells by the District and Ngoma Sub-County Officials had a hand on the excavation of the Mukoni Shallow well. The Secretary for Finance and Planning, who happens to be the area representative in the District Council, represented the Chairman and praised initiatives which "focus on helping the most un reached villages where no other person would be willing to reach.".
The Secretary then took a hoe and cut off pieces of top-soil to begin the excavation of the 18- feet deep well. Work commenced and was completed on three additional shallow well sites of Kikoni, Nyaburiiza and Kiyanja. Presently work is on going on one shallow well site of Omukiyanja, in Ngoma sub-county. At each of the sites, the communities participated with the project masons and porters to excavate the 18 feet depth for the aquifer reservoirs. The excavated site was then lined with pre-cast concrete rings up to ground level. After the ring molds Were in place a filtration process for inflowing water was constructed. Using assorted aggregate stones, the inflowing water passes through the stone filter, and collects any remaining debris in the water. The whole formation was sealed off from surface run off using clay and polythene sheeting.
A slab structure was constructed for convenient fetching of water, while at the same time ensuring a sanitary surrounding environment.
The water in the reservoir was pumped out and each completed well site was disinfected with chlorine, before the pump was installed.

CONCLUSION:

The importance of the Africare Wells Project is being recognized and greatly appreciated. Children and women in the communities are greatly benefiting from all of the investments which have ensured clean drinking water. At the official opening of the shallow well site in Mukoni, the area councilor was so moved by the effort of the community and expressed willingness, as a District, to support such programs interested in reaching where no other person was willing to reach. Mzee Kampororo at the Kikoni shallow well in Ntungamo Town Council, commented, "I personally taught President Museveni in class and have seen generations pass but have never got access to such clean source of water, near enough for me and my old wjfe, who can no longer even walk from the house without support. Thanks for this selfless gift This water has breathed fresh life in me."
He washed his face with the clear water from the hand pump and sighed with relief.

In Kiyanga, site of one shallow well, communities made a nine feet depth excavation on their own before the project masons started work on the site. The water user committee had collected a fee of 25,000 shillings from the families within the community, before the work began. When asked, the chairman of the committee commented, "We have had a problem of water here for a long time and we really need your support to save our children from this diarrhoea and our women from walking the three kilometers every day to find good water." He said they were supporting their committee and pump caretaker to be able to maintain their pump after the project masons have it installed.

Mzee Kampororo narrating his story to the Africare engineer and the well committee secretary a the Kikoni shallow well. The older man was a teacher to President Museveni.

Africare engineer, and the Water User Committee members at the Mukoni well.