BACKGROUND:

“Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink,” says English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, in ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.TISED-U subscribes to SDG 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all. Water and sanitation are essential for life and health, but they are also essential for dignity, empowerment and prosperity. In Uganda, poor sanitation and hygiene, as well as unequal access to safe drinking water, make thousands of people very sick and at risk of death.Since independence, the country has been striving to ensure Ugandans access safe water. Currently, the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic and without access to safe water, this complicates the task ahead. “Now more than ever, access to safe water is critical to the health of families in Uganda.

TISED-U has been working to improve WASH services in Tooro region since 2018. So far, it has provided these services to schools, health facilities and communities across the Tooro region. TISED-U applies a comprehensive approach toWASH by coupling infrastructure development, community mobilization, private sector engagement and behavior change communications to improve sanitation and hygiene practices. TISED-U works closely with local governments and communities including refugee communitiesto address the WASH concerns in Tooro region. Strong local partnerships ensure the long-term sustainability of solutions that are equitable, environmentally sound and well-suited to the specific needs of each community.

SPECIFIC PROJECTS UNDER THIS PROGRAMME A

  • Providing access to safe drinking-water in schools, health facilities and rural communities including refugee communities
  • Providing access to hygienic sanitation facilities in schools, health facilities and rural communities
  • Menstrual hygiene promotion in schools and refugee communities including refugee communities
  • Latrine construction in schools and refugee communities with a deliberate focus on gender and PWDs.
  • Supporting community based WASH structures as agents of WASH interventions in communities.

PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES:

  • Increase access to sustainable, safe water and environmental sanitation for poor and vulnerable communities
  • Reduce the prevalence of WASH-related diseases, including trachoma, bilharzia and diarrheal diseases, through the promotion of personalhygiene and environmental practices
  • Increase sustainability of WASH facilities by promoting integrated water resources management at the local level, with a focus on maintaining the quantity and quality of drinking water