Over 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. World Vision has a Secure Water and Sanitation programme in Uganda, which main goal is to: improve public health conditions of a population of 51,500 Internally Displaced Persons in Pader District.

How you can help

The Secure Water and Sanitation for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Project is a 12 months intervention targeting approximately 51,500 IDPs affected by the 21-year long conflict, in Pader District, Northern Uganda.

World Vision has a Secure Water and Sanitation programme in Uganda, which main goal is to: improve public health conditions of the IDP population and the returning population in Pader District. The main objective is: Increased access to safe water and improved sanitation for the targeted IDPs and returning communities.

This objective shall be pursued by the drilling and installing of 21 hand pump boreholes in transit sites which could either be at the site of a ‘returning’ school or within the IDP camp, training of 21 water source committees, and supporting the construction of at least 700 pit latrines in selected IDP households through the training of sanplats production teams as well as training of teachers and pupils of selected schools benefiting from the borehole construction on hygiene promotion.

According to World Food Program indicative figures for Pader District of January 2007, about 350,000 IDPs in Pader live in squalid and congested conditions in camps where they do not have access to safe water, sanitation or health facilities. The water and sanitation conditions are extremely lacking, but are crucial to the health and well being of the people who are already vulnerable.

There are very few safe water sources in a number of IDP camps especially in the satellite camps/transit sites where hundreds or thousands have moved to be closer to their home of origin. Not only are the people moving back or closer to their homes but also a big number of displaced schools are moving back to their original locations, which often need to be rebuild.

Water is crucial in these sites where the population doesn’t find any safe water at all or amounts, which are significantly below Sphere standards. In general, the lack of clean water has resulted into numerous diseases and social problems such as cholera and rape / insecurity to young girls and women who move out of the camps in search for water. This has thus increased mortality and morbidity rates.

The main health problems associated with inadequate water supply are caused by poor hygiene due to lack of water for hygienic purposes and the consumption of water that is contaminated. This has led to a high prevalence of excreta related infections. Both of these problems are directly linked with an inadequate supply of potable water and inappropriate sanitation, which greatly affects the livelihood of the communities.

World Vision Uganda has been involved in improving the water and sanitation situation in the IDP camps in Northern Uganda since 2003. In Pader District eight IDP camps received five motorised boreholes and nine hand pump boreholes from World Vision support. Provision of clean and safe water to the IDPs has been one of the key requests by the Government of Uganda, the local authorities and partner agencies. As such, this vital intervention has become a priority for NGOs working in the region.

World Vision has been involved in WATSAN programmes with activities such as installing motorized and non-motorized water systems, training camp sanitation committees on recommended practices and management of water sources; provision of tool kits; training selected participants in the production of sanitation platforms for latrines; training school authorities and children on proper school sanitation management; construction of school pit latrines; disinfecting existing school pit latrine facilities; provision of water tanks to schools; and training school management teams in the monitoring systems.

The average price of water is 0,034 pence (app. US $0,068) per litre and World Vision is looking to raise a total of USD $335,629 to fulfill this project. World Vision’s programmes are monitored on effectiveness with high quality control through Area Development Officers. Larger donations can be directed to go directly into water output, where funds are taken in on a Zero-Based-Budget and will go 100% into water.

Contact Greenvoice's Corporate Engagement to make arrangements for large donations, or you can support World Vision with a personal donation under "Donate".