WELL DONE! The 2014 walk has raised £18,800 towards the Uganda project. A big thank you to all of you who walked and raised the money.
The 2015 walk will be on Friday 15 May in Shanes Castle - hope to see you there.
Wednesday 10 September 2014
Tuesday 21 January 2014
2014 Tearfund Walk ~ 23rd May ~ Shanes Castle
You may recognise these two guys - Richard and Peter Chambers - they won silver medals in the London Olympics. They have visited this year's project - watch their 4 min DVD "One Big Mountain.
Please contact us for sponsorship forms and join us on May 23rd.
Below are full details of where your money will go.
Kigezi Diocese
Uganda
Project for Mid Antrim Walk
April 2014 to March 2015
Overview
Partner: Kigezi Diocese Water and Sanitation Programme (KDWSP).
Location: Kabale District, Uganda.
Purpose: To provide families with better access to safe water and improved health and sanitation services in Kabale District.
Impact: Over three years, 21,302 people will have directly benefited from safer water, better sanitation facilities and improved health. A further 2,000 people will have indirectly benefited from the project too.
Activity dates: April 2014 to March 2015.
Introduction
Once described as ‘the pearl of Africa’ because of its lush fertility, Uganda has seen its enormous potential stunted by dictatorship and civil war. Half a million people died under Idi Amin’s reign of terror in the 1970s and in 1986 another terrible conflict dawned in the north.
At war with the government, rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) used children as soldiers or sex slaves. Before the LRA was driven into the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008, tens of thousands of civilians had been killed or kidnapped. Some 1.6 million people had fled their homes.
Most Ugandans work as small-scale farmers and struggle to grow enough to feed their households. Cash crops are vulnerable to fluctuating global prices. Up to one in five of Uganda’s children aged six to 17 have lost at least one parent, mostly to HIV and conflict. Meanwhile, increased droughts and flooding have had a knock-on impact on malaria and water-borne diseases.
Currently, over a quarter of the population lives below the poverty line and 35% do not access to a safe water supply.
The Need
Kabale District is in a mountainous part South-West Uganda where access to safe water is uncommon. Many people settle on the hilltops and reserve lower fertile soils in the lower parts of hills for agriculture. Most water sources are found in the valleys and this causes people to haul water up steep slopes to their homes.
Women and children walk long distances, sometimes up to three hours, to fetch small amounts of unsafe water for their families. In some schools, children take alternate mornings off class to collect water for the school. Many also collect water for their households before and after school. Some families survive on just three to four litres per person each day – far below acceptable standards.
Many communities do not understand the connection between dirty water and disease. Much of the population (especially children) suffer from water and hygiene related illnesses such as parasitic worms, diarrhoea, and skin and eye diseases.
Access to safe water is critical for development. Clean, easily accessible water reduces disease, improves household food production and reduces the amount of time women and children spend collecting water.
As well as providing water to communities, KDWSP teaches improved sanitation and hygiene and provides on-going support. Their work addresses wider issues such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, food security, nutrition and the environment.
The Ministry of Water and Environment awarded KDWSP the honour of most outstanding NGO in WATSAN promotion in 2005/2006 and 2010/2011.
The Project
This is the final year of a three year cycle. The project will continue to raise awareness on safe water, sanitation and hygiene, and then carry out appropriate action with communities.
The programme will operate in at least 15 local churches (across four government parishes) per year.
KDWSP will promote self help groups which can be crucial in empowering and increasing community participation in bringing change.
Identified vulnerable and marginalised people will be supported to form self help groups. They will be trained in saving and credit, book keeping, market assessment, WATSAN, skills training, conflict management and gender issues.
Special consideration is given to the poorest members of society by placing water taps closer to disabled and elderly homesteads.
Committees are dissolved every two years. New ones are elected and trained to understand and appreciate their roles and responsibilities for efficient management. Women are encouraged to take up leadership positions and have 50% representation on committees.
WATSAN (water and sanitation) skills
Local churches, NGOs, community based organisations (CBOs), other Dioceses, community members and individuals will be equipped with skills, experiences, lessons and best practice in WATSAN.
The project hopes to see: 30% of the 15 target churches actively engaged in WATSAN best practice, 50% of target Dioceses promoting WATSAN projects, 50% of community development teams active and 10% of communities promoting self-supplying their own needs.
· Church leaders will be envisioned to develop and sustain development initiatives. This will be through workshops, training, exposure visits, 'learning conversations' for community leaders and members and a monitoring and review meeting every six months.
· 40 artisans will receive extensive residential training in water and sanitation facility construction.
· 12 artisans will receive on the job training for rainwater harvesting each year.
· 80 CBO members will be trained in ferrocement tank construction each year.
· Technical support will be provided to dioceses, artisans and organisations.
Promoting improved and sustainable water and sanitation services
The project aims to see: a 50% increase in hand-washing practice in the targeted communities, a 30% reduction in distance (maximum of 500m) to water points and improved water quality to less than ten fc/100ml.
· Local churches will play a part in community elections for committees, training committees, data collection, analysis and a baseline report to KDWSP.
· 100 beneficiaries will benefit from two days of tailored health education.
· At least ten demonstration homes will be established in each community.
· Equipment and work will include building gravity flow schemes, rainwater harvesting systems, bio-sand filters, san-plats, 420l and 1,500l rainwater jars, ferrocement tanks, institutional tanks, springs and hand-washing facilities.
· Refresher training will be provided for WATSAN committees, church leaders and CBOs.
· 30 gravity flow scheme attendants and 30 spring caretakers will receive refresher training.
Environmental sustainability, HIV/ AIDS, family planning and food security
The project aims to see 50% of people living with HIV/AIDS practicing positive living, 30% of communities carrying out improved environmental practices and a 30% increase in family planning.
· 20 ferrocement tanks will be built for people living with HIV/AIDS.
· Five communities will be trained on HIV/AIDS and attend two sessions on voluntary counselling and testing.
· 100 people will attend training on environmental issues for each community per year.
· 100 people will be trained on food security twice a year.
· 100 people will be trained in food and nutrition twice a year.
· Each community will be trained on family planning.
Advocating for improved access to safe water and sanitation in Kabale District
The project aims to see: 40% of technical institutions in Kabale District adopting water and sanitation training programs, and 20% of sub-counties in Kabale District adopting WATSAN by-laws which are endorsed and known by the communities.
· 30 people from KDWSP staff and other key stakeholders will meet yearly to outline research and advocacy plans.
· Research and a baseline survey will be carried out on the community situation.
· A position paper on advocacy issues will be developed.
· KDWSP will host a meeting with the District Education Office and other bodies each year.
· KDWSP best practice will be documented.
· KDWSP will lobby at regional and district levels for improved WATSAN programmes.
· Four sub-counties will establish new by-laws regarding the making of trenches and contours (for better water access).
· There will be an emphasis on sharing good practice with other sector organisations (UWASNET, URWA) and partners.
· 1,000 brochures, 500 t-shirts, 400 newsletters and 300 calendars will be produced.
Budget
Tearfund was asked to contribute £121,976 towards the project for 2013-2014.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)