Performance Report for FY 2009/10 - UWASNET

Performance Report for FY 2009/10
breaking down. They are very happy and besides minor repairs and preventive maintenance
they use the O&M fees to start up income generating activities. The women brew ‘ajon’ in
Teso while the men use the money to start up small businesses like buying and reselling of
goats, fish and produce. To date the village is proud to have UGX 1million on their account,
one cow, four goats and two cassava gardens in the names of O&M fund.
One of the two cassava gardens, goats and cow are: property of the Water and Sanitation Committee.
Case Study 4.11
Capacity Building of Management Committees. Source: Fontes
Foundation Uganda
Since 2007, Fontes Foundation (www.fontes.no) organises yearly water seminars
to build capacity of water committees. The last seminar was carried out in August
2009, with more than 50 participants. Water committees including technicians and
caretakers or tap-attendants, local leaders and stakeholders from four water projects
in Bushenyi (now Rubirizi) and Kanungu District attended the seminar which was
organised in Kazinga, a fishing village in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Fontes Foundation implemented the first small piped water system in Queen Elizabeth
National Park in 2004, and now has four operational systems. Since the ground water
is salty, surface water is treated using simple pressurised filter technology, and water
is distributed at public taps in the villages. The systems are managed by elected
water committees and the technical operation is done by local technicians trained by
Fontes Foundation, who receive remuneration at the end of the month.
The water systems have encountered many problems and challenges over the years, and
only a small part of them have been technical. The most frequent causes of problems
are lack of capacity in the water committees, lack of transparency in the financial
management, lack of awareness in the community and government institutions about
the benefits of safe water and lack of community engagement. These challenges
are best overcome through continuous follow up, mobilisation and capacity building,
which is done by Fontes Foundation and its counterpart Fontes Foundation Uganda
on a regular basis. One of the most popular events is the water seminar. During the
seminar, participants study subjects such as basic accounting methods, roles and
53 | NGOs in the Ugandan Water and Sanitation Sector