Uganda is a republic bordering Kenya and South Sudan. It is known for its diverse ecosystems and unique geography. The Central African country rests upon a plateau outlined by a natural boundary of mountains and valleys. Although migration to Uganda increased by over 117% in 2023, the country faces a long-standing water crisis.

Water.Org

Water.Org highlights the vastness of Uganda’s water crisis. According to their website, Water.Org is a humanitarian organization operating worldwide, with the sole mission of ensuring “safe, accessible and cost-effective” clean water for all. While the nonprofit was founded in the 1990s, its work in Uganda began in 2009. 

In their article on the water crisis in Uganda, Water.Org reported that over 80% of Ugandans lack access to “a reliable, safely managed source of water.” The article explains that over the last two decades, Uganda’s “large population movements” to the country’s urban areas have exacerbated the instability of the Ugandans’ access to water.

Insecure Access to Clean Water

Insecure access to clean water heightens the effects of poverty in Uganda. A report by The World Bank on Uganda’s poor found that about 30% of Uganda’s population lives in poverty. In that same report, The World Bank highlighted that “at least 50% of Ugandans remain vulnerable to the risk of falling back into poverty in the next two years.” The country’s water crisis only compounds this issue.

Water.Org found that Uganda’s impoverished spend up to “22% of their income to access water from water vendors.” The humanitarian organization detailed that “spending such a high percentage of earnings on water” eliminates the opportunity for Uganda’s poor “to build savings and break the cycle of poverty.” 

On top of the monetary costs of limited water access, Uganda’s water crisis has also increased time expenses. Water.Org explained that many of Uganda’s poor “spend more than 30 minutes” traveling to collect water. The humanitarian organization highlighted that this excessive travel for access to water takes away from crucial time that Ugandans could spend working or pursuing an education.

Wells of Life 

Organizations like Wells of Life are working to solve Uganda’s water crisis through service work. Wells of Life is a humanitarian organization operating in Uganda. Wells of Life acts with the central mission of securing “access to safe, clean water” for the people of Uganda. Wells of Life began their invaluable work in Uganda in 2010.

According to their website, Nick Jordan founded Wells of Life after a visit to East Africa in 2008. During this trip, he got an in-depth view of “the devastation and sadness” present in Uganda. He penned their lack of access to the “basic human right” of water as the source of this anguish and heartache.

Wells of Life works to accomplish their mission by installing and restoring “sustainable borehole water wells.” In the last 13 years, the humanitarian organization has dug or repaired over 1,100 wells. The wells this organization has dug now provide reliable access to clean water for over 1,100,000 people. 

WASH

Wells of Life has also implemented WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)​ educational curricula in their service areas. As Wells of Life worked tirelessly to supply clean water to Ugandans in need, the organization took the stance that they could do more outside of access to clean water. In 2019, the organization launched WASH. Wells of Life felt these programs are essential to the health of Uganda’s poor as both clean water and appropriate sanitation “are essential for survival.” In rural Uganda, over 75% of people “fail to wash their hands — accounting for at least 50% of all infant deaths.” 

WASH courses are part of the organization’s Healthy Village Program. These 6-month trainings in Uganda’s rural areas include “in-depth training and education on the necessities for sanitation & hygiene.” These trainings serve as a means of providing “education and resources that encourage healthy sanitation and hygienic practices.” 

As Uganda’s water crisis and unmet sanitation needs go hand-in-hand, the work Wells of Life and other humanitarian organizations are doing in Uganda is vitally important. Those who want to learn more about Uganda’s water crisis or Wells of Life should visit https://www.wellsoflife.org.

– Rosemary Wright
Photo: Flickr