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f. Water quantity: most reporting NGOs are predominantly involved in providing water for human consumption.
However, some members have been able to combine such activities with water for production, e.g. for livestock
rearing and agriculture. Additionally, a total of 20 valley tanks/dams have been constructed by NGOs, at a cost of
UGX 106,013,333, while two irrigation reservoirs have also been provided.
g. Promotion of Equity: the report makes a distinction between two aspects of equity:
- Distributional equity (e.g. between and within districts of water and sanitation services) was addressed through
participation in official planning and budgeting processes, water point mapping, dialogues & advocacy,
mainstreaming distributional equity in NGO operations, and tackling corruption and power misuse.
- Equity and Inclusion: NGOs have made considerable efforts to target their interventions to vulnerable sectors of
the population, e.g. people living with HIV/AIDS, people living with disabilities, orphans and vulnerable children
and the elderly. Interventions included appropriate technology, specific design of water and sanitation programme
to prioritise provision to vulnerable people, home visits and awareness raising, as well as mainstreaming equity
and inclusion into ongoing programmes.
h. Hand-washing (Hygiene): A total of 99,341 household hand-washing facilities have been directly constructed by
or with the help of NGOs at a cost of UGX 28,601,100; in schools, NGOs have contributed to the supply of 1022
hand-washing facilities at a cost of UGX 47,783,500. However, since the adoption of household hand-washing
facilities is one of the outcomes of hygiene campaigns and sensitisations, it is likely that the number of handwashing
facilities constructed as a result of NGOs’ hygiene promotion efforts far exceeds the number reported.
NGOs recognise the challenges of influencing hygiene behaviour change, seeking new and innovative ways for
promoting safe hygiene practices. These include drama shows, hygiene competitions, media exposure and
community sensitisation. NGOs have also supported the relevant social institutions to ensure sustainability of
interventions, such as school health clubs, community hygiene and sanitation monitoring teams, community based
health workers/educators, teacher training, training of community leaders and hygiene promotion through WUCs.
i. Community management: NGO investment in community management amounted to UGX 538,227,188. NGOs
have been involved in the forming, training and mobilisation of at least 1871 WUCs, at an investment of UGX
349,542,788, accompanied by efforts to enhance the functionality of WUCs.
j. Gender promotion: through their work with WUCs, NGOs have strived to address gender imbalances in key
leadership and management positions, by increasing the number of WUCs and other management institutions
containing women as key position holders. They have continued working with women’s groups, providing WASH
training, sensitisation & mobilisation. Several have also ensured that interventions provide women with incomegenerating
skills. NGOs have recognised that while working with women alone may improve their capacity and
ability to claim their stake in society, redressing gender imbalances and improvement of gender relations requires
working with both men and women, through meetings, training sessions and community mobilisation.
4. NGO operations under the Northern Uganda Humanitarian response:
The Conflict in Northern Uganda since 1986 resulted at its peak in up to 1.4 million Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) living in camps. The coordination under the Cluster approach led by UNICEF began in late 2005. Since 2006,
there has been relative peace in Northern Uganda, leading to IDPs moving to transit sites or their original homes.
In line with this, the GoU launched the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP) to expedite the delivery of
services in support of the return process, and to spur development in the region.
The WASH Cluster prepared a transition implementation strategy in 2007 and an exit strategy in 2008, with the
objectives of handing over WASH coordination to government-led coordinating bodies at district and central level;
handover from exiting NGOs to district governments; and NGO project implementation by continuing NGOs,
initially in accordance with the WASH transition strategy and later progressing to support the district
developmental plans as enshrined in the PRDP. Options have been proposed for institutionalisation of the above,
on national and district levels: On the national level, it is envisaged that the coordination of WASH humanitarian
response will revert to a sub-committee of the WSSWG that also coordinates PRDP implementation, working
closely with UWASNET for NGO coordination. On the district level, the sector agreed structure for coordination of
WASH programmes is the District Water and Sanitation Coordination Committee (DWSCC). The sector is
committed to strengthening DWSCCs as a means to ensure better coordination and collaboration, planning,
performance monitoring as well as effective use of resources.
NGOs operating under the WASH cluster continued to provide emergency response to the outbreaks of Cholera,
Typhoid and Hepatitis E Virus in Northern Uganda, with specific interventions to enhance health awareness,
increase safe water provision, improve sanitation conditions and hygiene practices, and enhance community
management structures and capacity.
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