Clean and safe water is flowing – more than one hundred guests came together on Wednesday, 26th of July to officially launch the SCIF Safe Water project and inaugurate one of 17 freshwater boreholes in Uganda. The 17 sites in Lyantonde and Kalungu districts will each serve at least 300 people with the aim to reduce the incidence of water-borne diseases and reduce the use of firewood and charcoal to boil water.
Celebrating fresh opportunities
The launch event featured a tour of the new solar-powered motorised water point located in Lwamahungu village, Lyantonde district. This motorised borehole serves a total of four water points in and around the village, including a school, two points in the centre of the village and one outside Kabayanda Health Centre II. The new water point next to the Health Centre makes an enormous difference to staff staff and patients. Prior to its establishments, patients were required to bring their own water, women in labour for example, carried up to four 20-litre containers of water with them. Now the water point is only a few metres from the entrance of the Health Centre.
The launch event was attended by representatives from the office of the President of Uganda, the Minister of State for Water, a local member of Parliament, MRC/UVRI and LSHTM Uganda Research Unit Chief Operating Officer Jonas Lexow, SCIF Lead Ola Bankole and many more. All attending celebrated the expected improvements for the entire village, urging the community to make use of care for the new water points.