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busogabugle Autumn 2019 water sanitation hygiene

From the Editor The Busoga Trust began formally in September 1982 with the commissioning of the then Curate of St Michael s Chester Square in London as the Trust Coordinator The first Bugle was published in 1984 The American Trustee Brad Kelly came up with the name at a meeting of Trustees who fell about laughing But the name stuck perhaps because of its unfashionable jauntiness Bugles are blown in battles to stir armies to fight Can helping people break free from the grip of hopeless poverty and the health impacts of foul water and poor hygiene be seen as a battle We believe it can and should It certainly involves strategy and tactics but it also requires dedication and resolve whatever the problems and a willingness to go beyond the call of duty The Busoga Trust is very fortunate to have many such people among our Ugandan staff So this edition of the Bugle is largely devoted to them to the sounds of African voices We asked them to tell us about the work they do This is what they said Cover Photo by Moses Mugabane Below Andrew Pearson visiting water sources on the annual trip to Uganda Photo by Lydia Slack

JUST WASH THOSE HANDS WILL YOU Mrs Nabyama Sarah a resident of Bulwasira village is the ideal woman that any sanitatation and hygiene programma would love to showcase as a success story Her compound is sparkling clean the kitchen is meticulously hygienic and well kept She has a utensils drying rack in place and a clean latrine complete with a functional hand washing facility commonly referred to as a tippy tap In her village Mrs Nabyama is singled out as the type of woman to emulate and the men of course paint her as the ideal woman to marry Her husband Mr Mrs Nabyama using a tippy tap to wash her hands Nabyama shares in her glory most in her compound Submiited by Juliet Ntono evenings in the local bar In Lusoga she is omumuli mu maka a beacon of light in the home There is a small problem however Women in Bulwasira want to attain Mrs Nabyama s level of cleanliness but do not like the community attitudes Women like her are looked at as posers a problem and impossible If such an ideal situation is loathed what to do Poor hygiene and sanitation is one of the major causes of high infant mortality in Luuka Diarrhea alone contributes to 12 of deaths among young children not to mention the impact of drinking foul water and it is equally disturbing to note that 68 of Ugandans don t wash their hands with soap after visiting a latrine and before feeding a child but at Mrs Nabyama s home this is history She saves what would have been hospital bills for school fees and other family developments She says Whatever makes my family happy I will do because I value a happy family Busoga Trust under the well rehabilitation programme has played a big role in persuading the whole Bulwasira Community to adopt hand washing behaviour as in Mrs Nabyama s home and with community acceptance hand washing will not be too much cleanliness but simply a healthy lifestyle for all to embrace Juliet Ntono Community Development Officer

One of the Originals Excavated in 1984 as a large underground water tank in Nagadudula village Iganga District this water source with its original hand pump is still providing clean safe water today The older community members remember B T s first engineer Ivor Fiest camping nearby when this tank was under construction They also remember the open pond from which they drank water they shared with animals They regarded themselves as a cursed and neglected community even today about a third of Iganga s rural population have no clean water to drink The same original handpump provides this community today 35 years later But the tank itself needed to be rehabilitated in 2017 It was a major task removing the cover refilling the walls remaking the cover and refitting the pump This source has never run dry even during the long Eastern drought a few years ago Two years ago a borehole was drilled by another provider half a mile away Already it has broken down and run dry and is no use Yet B T s 35 year old source gives people hope as well as plentiful and clean water 74 year old Swibu Lubega explaining how Nagadudula tank was constructed by Busoga Trust in 1984 Photo by Richard Muzaale Richard Muzaale Outrider Overcoming Non Functionality Imagine if your water supply was managed by a bunch of local volunteers with no technical competence How long before a succession of faults results in no clean water That is the model imposed on rural Africa by NGOs and governments alike for maintaining rural water sources No wonder that about 50 today are non functioning That means unavoidably you go back to foul stinky water for yourself your family and for young children It is a tragedy That s why B T has made achieving 100 functionality our flagship programme It is a process and will take time It involves incentivising a new class of trained professional mechanics who make their living by proactively maintaining all the 30 or so wells in their concessions It takes time to build the trust and the

confidence for local communities to contribute 25p per household per month to pay for their WSP B T is subsidising this process for the first 2 or 3 years Once a well is properly built or rehabilitated and then proactively maintained by its WSP through regular visits there is no need for it ever to break down 100 functionality is not just a dream it is a realistic goal Moses Mugabane Research and Development Officer A community water source being repaired by a Busoga Trust Hand Pump Mechanic Photo submitted by Winfred Musubika Is water free Unless you catch water yourself from the sky no it is not free In many cases surface water in ponds and water holes is an expensive danger to health But if you think as some rural people do that water is free then there is no appetite for making contributions regularly to a community maintenance fund Some would prefer to wait until their well breaks down before contributing Such down times can extend into weeks It doesn t make sense So it requires patient persuasion and education by our dedicated CDOs to achieve monthly water user fee contributions from each home for the PBR Payment By Results Programme It may not be free but it is an inexpensive very workable way to obtain a continuous supply of clean water our most basic human need after clean air Basalira Atanansi Technical Supervisor Children collecting water at Bukoyo CMS water source in Iganga district Since 1992 this pump has continued to produce a plentiful supply of clean water and has never run dry despite recent droughts Photo by Richard Muzaale

Menstruation is like a burden on the head Menstruation is like a burden on the head Exclaimed Ms Nakato the Headmistress of Namasuba Primary School in Nakaseke District Central Uganda she further explains that 1 out of 2 girls miss one to three days of school per month due to menstruation Menstruation Hygiene Management MHM is a major health issue affecting women and Girls making reusable sanitary padsfrom local girls of reproductive age worldwide The transition into puberty for some girls is often materials Submitted by Vickie Tumbaweze met with fear and anxiety due to lack of knowledge about menstruation and lack of resources about the changes that are occurring in their bodies In Uganda school aged girls face large barriers to MHM as many schools have no access to adequate water and sanitation facilities Furthermore the stigma surrounding menstruation in many communities can result in secrecy shame decreased mobility and social and religious restrictions impacting girls self confidence and personal development Busoga Trust Luwero through its WASH in schools program has helped to curb the menstrual burden by teaching girls how to make reusable pads from local materials providing safe washrooms hand washing facilities and a clean water source and teaching boys and girls general hygiene and sanitation Jane Nalumansi a primary six student of Namasuba Primary school excitedly said I no longer miss my classes because of lack of sanitary pads to use during menstruation I can make my own re usable pads and keep them clean always Thanks to Busoga Trust for teaching us how to make re usable pads Vickie Tumbaweze Luwero Manager Girlspose with their sanitary pads make from local materials Submitted by Vickie Tumbaweze

The Data Department Mark Twain wrote There are three kinds of lies lies damned lies and statistics Perhaps he meant that if used in an unscrupulous way statistical data can buttress any argument Sherlock Holmes by contrast said It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts We in B T seek to obtain data simply as an aid to truth Over the last 5 years B T has made great progress through the use of dedicated mobile Outriders whose job is to survey and to record data on every one of B T s 2578 water sources as well as on the sanitation and hygiene profile of each community In 2018 19 they conducted 2934 such surveys B T is unashamedly big on latrines which we see as essential for good hygiene These surveys showed that domestic pit latrine coverage had risen to 82 7 from in some case as low as 30 B T stops at nothing to shock and awe communities into the need to cease open defecation Now we have set 100 latrine coverage as our target in line with government policy since flies are no respecters of domestic curtilage The mobile outriders have reported those wells which need a thorough rehabilitation for our teams to visit as soon as possible But they have also carried out on the spot running repairs A stitch in time saves nine is as true for well repairs as it is for clothing Map of all of the surveys conducted by the Outriders since The mobile outriders glean vital from April 2018 2019 Submitted by Mark Kenny information on the progress of the PBR project They carry out crucial water quality tests B T aims for O ecoli contamination Anything over 10 prompts further investigation although it is still within the standard norms of the Ugandan government Collection storage and dissemination of data is crucial to B T s programme Only then can we be confident that we are making real progress We take some pride in this especially when some big international NGOs and governments have simply no idea of the current status of the work they did and therefore can do nothing to rectify it Mark Kenny B T Liaison Officer and Data Manager

Three Lydias in Luwero Being completely honest despite having a background in water and development I ve often found it difficult to truly relate to people without access to clean safe water That was until I travelled to a small village in Luwero Uganda in my new role of UK Manager of Busoga Trust and met two other Lydias For the first time in her life the week before we arrived Lydia on the left had access to clean water in her village she d previously walked two miles to a dirty pond to collect water for her family She s now the women s representative of their water user committee and is excited that her children will no longer have tummy ache from the water she collects Lydia in the middle works in our office in Luwero as an Office Assistant supporting the team of engineers and CDOs on the ground She also grew up without clean water and as a child collected water from ponds She first started working for Busoga Trust as a cleaner and has Three Lydias in Luweero Photo by the muzee worked her way up to office John Morton assistant by learning in the job Then there s me I ve never had to think about my access to clean safe water I didn t have to drop out of high school when I reached puberty because of a lack of access to toilets or sanitation facilities and I was able to go on to university and get a Masters I will never be able to comprehend the real challenges of not having access to safe water and I regularly forget to appreciate what comes out the tap at home Despite our different backgrounds we all shared a space a name and a joke We re all a similar age and have a shared sense of humanity And now thanks to Busoga Trust we can ALL say we have access to clean safe water Lydia Slack UK Manager

Restoring Hope to the Forgotten Perspiration dropped down my back sending cold shivers down my spine The little children were on average 5 years old In turns each child would dip the 1 litre Jerrycan into the stream draw water and drink it to quench their thirst The water was beyond human consumption levels smelt foul and looked brown and black I couldn t recall the last time I felt this kind of trepidation Just about 100 metres away were two figurines with an inscription Children collecting water from an open pond Competition Water is Life If this is true then winning photograph submitted by Rose Nannozi why were the young children being allowed to drink the contaminated water I wondered I supposed that was the best they could get In Uganda It is a common occurence for underprivileged households to use foul water for consumption and to meet other domestic needs Yet clean water and sanitation are basic requirements for rural development Busoga Trust exists to redefine access to clean water and sanitation in rural communities in Uganda The principles of humanity teach us the attributes of sharing loving and collectively supporting the vulnerable Since Water is Life clean water and sanitation must come first A person s life journey is gleaned from the soles of their shoes but my feet are bare let s all be the change the world needs to achieve sustainable access to clean water and sanitation Gabriel Angura Jinja Office Manager Children collecting water from a Busoga Trust water source Submitted by Rose Nannozi

More Extracts from African Voices We did not expect there would be such a splendid response to our invitation for contributions from B T s Ugandan staff Sadly we cannot publish them all But here are a few more highlights From Joseph Ssebunya Outrider Chief Mitigator For over 35 years B T has been like a dependable oasis in a big desert to which all those who are thirsty run for life A community member in Kabembe Senero put things in context Ever since the creation of the world Kabembe Senero has never had a clean water source like the one that B T has constructed Such deeply touching statements keep us B T staff motivated as do statements like that of Two children enjoying clean water from a rehabilitated water source Submitted by Juliet Ntono a Primary School Head who said We thank for B T who fight open defecation and also enable our girls to have affordable reusable menstrual pads and a place to change them LONG LIVE BUSOGA TRUST A child uses a tippy tap hand washing facility after toilet use at Bukuma Submitted by Jimmy Lubanga From Winfred Musubika Mover and Shaker Head of Stores and Decommissioning As John Donne wrote We all belong to the great continent of life And if one member suffers we all suffer B T was raised up in 1982 to respond to the vision of the late Bishop Cyprian Bamwoze As Bishop he believed that Jesus wanted fullness of life for his people in body and mind as well as soul That meant drinking the water of life not the water of sickness and death This is the vision which continues to inspire B T today and makes us seek to up our game and to do better As the great prophet Isaiah said quoted by B T s Director Remember not the former things nor consider the things of old Behold I am doing a new thing now it springs forth do you not perceive it I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert

B T s Progress in 2019 After a year of bumper outputs in 2018 reported in this year s Spring Bugle B T is on course to achieve comparable high levels of outputs in 2019 This year also we shall have the extra outputs of the projects to improve hygiene and sanitation funded in country by the Iceland government and by USAID However our core UK WASH programme is entirely funded by private sources individuals Trusts Churches Schools and Rotaries Our proposal to DFID this year received very positive feedback Yet DFID only supported 5 out of 895 proposals so it s a bit of a lottery DFID supported B T superbly throughout the 1990s Thankfully therefore each one of you our private supporters have kept us making steady progress in 2019 and have brought us to a new level of achievement Without all of you we would not exist Please enable us to stay on the front line of freedom helping with our African team the people of rural Uganda to undo the heaven burdens and to let the oppressed go free Andrew Pearson Executive Director A community enjoying their new water source installed by Busoga Trust Submitted by Lydia Slack

What You Can Do By fundraising for us you can help to support our projects to bring safe water and improved hygiene and sanitation to overlooked rural communities with no other chance of getting out of their current desperate situation Your donations can provide 3 500 New Well 2 000 Rehabilitation of a Borehole 1 500 Major Rehabilitation of a Shallow Well 800 Minor Rehabilitation of a Shallow Well After receiving your total fundraised donation we will allocate a suitable community to your project This project will be completed within 12 months and you will be sent a full completion report with details of the community their location the specific project detail and outcomes with technical information and water test results Every donation of whatever size large or small is hugely welcomed and valued and will be used towards funding a project We ensure not a penny of our funding is wasted with only minimal amounts being spent on fundraising therefore maximising the funding used to make a direct difference to the lives of those who need it most ARE YOU UP FOR A CHALLENGE If you are feeling ready to take on a challenge you can setup a giving page on uk virginmoneygiving com DONATE TODAY Become a regular Our regular donors are invaluable They share our vision of the world as one community and share what they have with those in need You can too by arranging a regular payment by standing order with your bank using our bank details below or by following the links on our website Online via our website www thebusogatrust co uk donate today Bank transfer The Busoga Trust Sort Code 60 07 29 Acc No 39810399 Cheque payable to The Busoga Trust and sent to our address below CONTACT Address 82 St John Street London EC1M 4JN UK Email ukhq busogatrust co uk Registered Charity 288388