Water for dignity
By Evelyn Gathuru
I recently read an interesting, yet rather disturbing, statistic which stated that millions of women around the developing world spend up to a third of their lives fetching water. This made me think of how much of our lifestyle (e.g. my 30 minute long showers) is made possible by a reliable supply of clean water.
It also made me think of how much clean water and sanitation can do for the freedom and dignity of people, especially women and girls. Fetching water is a backbreaking household chore that usually falls to women and girls in many parts of the developing world. This is the case in Busia, Eastern Uganda, where Irish Aid has supported the construction of 8 boreholes, which provide a supply of clean water for 2,100 households.
Community Groups in charge of Water
In a recent trip to Uganda, Eileena and I visited these boreholes and got a chance to speak with the community members. Each borehole is managed by a water users association made up of elected members from the community (both men and women) that have received training on how to manage and maintain the water source. They collect a small fee from each community member, which is then saved up to pay for future borehole repairs.
What's great about this set up is that the community have control over the borehole and know how to fix it when repairs are needed.
A 10k walk for water
Prior to the construction of these boreholes, the women and children, mainly girls, were forced to walk up to 10 km to fetch water, often from dirty streams or ponds. It was no surprise then, that the women were the most vocal when it came to articulating the benefits the clean water of supply has brought to their lives. Rose Naja, who had a family of 9 children, told us how she could only collect 2 or 3 Jerri cans of water per day because the distance was too far for her to carry back any more water. When the needs of collecting water got too much for her manage, her daughters would be forced to drop out of school to help her collect enough water for the family.
Lives changed for the better
These boreholes and the clean supply of water they provide has had a significant impact on the lives of these communities, especially that of women and children. The women can now collect enough water to meet all their household needs in 30 minutes. Time spent fetching water can now be spent on performing other household activities, farming or going to school. Also, their children are no longer constantly sick with diarrhoea and dysentery. Through the support of Irish Aid, these communities can now enjoy the freedoms and dignities a clean supply of water can offer- better hygiene, less illnesses and more time to engage in productive activities.
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