Team Uganda!

Oscar, Kirsten, Greg, James, Joe, and I (Kristin) are off to Uganda tomorrow. We were actually originally slated to go to Lebanon but due to the situation over there, it was decided to send us to another location. We quickly got up to speed on Uganda and could not be more excited about the trip. We are going to be working on a water enterprise project in northern Uganda where we will be assessing and making a recommendation on how to create a sustainable method for the collection and management of fees at community water points.

In our research, we came across some astonishing statistics:

• In Uganda, the National Water and Sewage Corporation serves less than 5% of the population. All others use springs, boreholes, wells, gravity flows, rivers, lakes, and/or unprotected wells.
• 40% of the Uganda’s population has no access to “improved” water sources.
• An estimated 50% of the wells built in Africa fail after two years.
• In small towns in Uganda, the local government and private water associations/operators regulate the water supply.
• 1 out of every 4 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to water-related disease.
• In developing countries, around 80% of illnesses are linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.

We have tried to learn everything we can about water prior to departing but we all feel we will have a better grasp on current water situation once we are there in person. We look forward to sharing our findings and journey along way!