In acknowledgment of the importance of water for the entire ecosystem including human life, we are celebrating world water day today! We all rely on water, be it for daily use, drinking, cooking and bathing, or economic purposes. Whilst for some parts of the world population daily water supply is a given and stable, others have to invest a lot of effort to access water.
In Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, mid western Uganda, people mostly rely on shallow wells and boreholes to access water. However, the wells are not reliable as they tend to dry out during dry season and alternative access points are limited. Moreover, some refugees struggle to pay the monthly access fee of 2000 Ugandan Shillings. In consequence, the average water consumption per person in the settlement is far below the national average.
“The boreholes have many issues. Every week, the mechanics have to come to repair. That’s why we have to pay to use the boreholes.”
Oliver, a Congolese refugee and member of GRI’s farming group
The water scarcity comes along with a set of challenges, especially poor hygiene, making it easy for infections to spread, but it also affects farming, thus food availability. The dry season and scarcity of water also impacts the agricultural production of GRI’s farming groups.
“My group cannot afford the 10’000 Shilling per month to use the borehole close to the garden and the water we can fetch at the school is too little. We also suffer from carrying the jerrycans, the weight is too much.”
Oliver
In order to provide a sustainable solution to this challenge, GRI intends to install a solar-powered irrigation system. It will enable farmers to cultivate throughout the dry season, thereby increasing food security and generating additional income. If this initiative has caught your attention and you wish to support us visit our donation site.