Acts for Water Annual Report | 2020-21

ANNUAL

REPORT

2020-2021

Water Connects Us All

A YEAR OF MIRACLES “WHEN WILL IT EVER END?” THIS IS A QUESTION I'M SURE WE ALL THOUGHT THIS PAST YEAR AMIDST THE PANDEMIC. I often wonder whether girls like Edwin in Kota, Uganda wondered this as she did her daily walk to and from the stream, high up in those hills. "Will my long walk for water ever end?"

For Edwin and thousands of people like her, you helped answer this question, and put an end to her long walk for water. In the midst of a year filled with so much we could not control, you helped us provide one of the most essential foundations to life. Almost everyday I felt I was witnessing a miracle as I watched members of this community give so generously to strangers so they could have latrines, hygiene training, clean water and all of the opportunities that come with this.

Dr. Gary Parker writes that “the hopes and dreams of a mother’s heart are the same anywhere in the world” and I believe that this year, you’ve helped fulfil those most crucial hopes and dreams despite very difficult circumstances. Hopes for an education, for freedom from excruciating labour, for safety, and for the chance to thrive.

We witnessed a lot of miracles this year. Thank you for being a part of them.

Jeff

Jeffrey Golby | CEO

YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE AS 2020 BEGAN, ACTS UGANDA FELT HOPELESS FROM THE MISFORTUNES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. We were surrounded by panic, scarcity of supplies, business shutdowns, the fall of the global economy, fear of contracting the virus and the worry that ACTS may fail to continue helping communities access safe water and sanitation, despite this being a time when our services were needed most.

It was all about the support from people like you that made it possible for ACTS Uganda to continue making a great impact in communities especially knowing good sanitation and hygiene was the only solution to curb down the pandemic.

I humbly thank you for your support because amidst the impact of the virus you helped us construct and turn on 32 taps, train 6 villages leading them to the award of ODF certificates, distribute Covid-19 relief supplies to 1,756 households, and construct 7 safe school latrines on 3 selected schools.

Your continued support is a blessing to many Ugandans.

Richard

Richard Musinguzi | Program Manager ACTS Uganda

Your generosity this year led to

32

TAPS

being turned on to make clean water accessible.

CLEAN WATER

WHEN IT MATTERS

MOST.

2020 was a year when the world realized just how important clean water, handwashing and hygiene truly is. WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) was more critical than ever in the year of a pandemic.

It’s the best defense against all viruses.

When COVID hit and we reached out to you - our community - the rapid response of generosity and support still blows us away.

For Acts for Water, 2020 is a year marked by both our Canadian and Ugandan communities rising to the occasion.

OUR THANKS TO YOU. Thank you for helping us continue to work towards our vision of seeing communities thrive through the elimination of water poverty.

RESPONSIVENSS & RESILIENCY "Acts for Water was created for such a time as this: 2020 was the year for WASH! Our ACTS Ugandan team showed us what responsiveness looks like as they turned into local heroes to help remote, rural communities be resilient in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic.

We are proud and privileged to be a part of the dedicated ACTS community, and to be part of this critical global change movement."

- Tracey DeGraaf Director of International Programs

EMERGENCY COVID RELIEF MARCH TO JUNE 2020

We began this fiscal year as fear of the pandemic was just starting in Uganda.

With your help, we used the money raised on WORLD WATER DAY to pivot our programming to respond to the growing threat of the virus in the areas we worked in. During those first months we were able to: Distribute soap, hand sanitizer, wash basins and handwashing stations to 9,000 people Hang posters, make field visits and train local health officers in social distancing and hand-washing protocols

Partner with local government and radio stations to teach hygiene and sanitation over the airwaves reaching over 18,000,000 people!

“It is a challenge for me to retrieve water because I live up on the hill and I walk so far down to get water. This takes me 2 hours and the water I do fetch is dirty. I don’t do much for myself because I am weakened by the hill to fetch water. But I am so happy for the good news that Acts has brought to us by giving clean water that I can access close to home!

Thank you very much!”

- Miria, Muhaha Village Beneficiary

SOAP MAKING WORKSHOPS Following on the heels of the pandemic was the need to equip communities for long-term resiliency against disease. We piloted soap making workshops, teaching people to use supplies they can find locally to make their own soap. This initiative spurred participants to form their own cooperatives for generating income from soap-making.

LITTLE THINGS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE!

This is a perfect example of how one little initiative can effectively equip people with the means to build their own resilience to disease and poverty. Something as simple as handwashing skills can be turned into entrepreneurial success! This is what resiliency looks like.

LATRINES While schools in Uganda remained closed due to COVID concerns, our team doubled down on building latrines at the schools which would soon receive clean water. Latrines at school are a critical component of a healthy community.

IT’S THE PRIMARY REASON WHY 1 IN 4 GIRLS DON’T GRADUATE SECONDARY SCHOOL AND IT’S A CRITICAL WAY TO INFLUENCE THE OVERALL BEHAVIOUR OF THE REGION.

When we build a clean, safe latrine at a school, we also spend months teaching the kids about hygiene and sanitation health. These kids go on to become instruments of change in the community.

This year, because of your help, we built 7 safe latrines at 3 different schools. More than we’ve ever done in our entire 30-year history! This is crucial in helping to keep the region safe for the long haul.

A NEW STANDARD This past year we've also seen the Kicuzi Village, one of the villages from the first phase of this project, graduate to the highest level of health and sanitation as recognized by the Government! This is a huge deal and sets a new standard for our team.

Did you know?

2.1 BILLION PEOPLE 159 MILLION PEOPLE

lack access to safe water at home

drink water directly from surface sources, such as streams or lakes

Your gifts provided

1,756

HOUSEHOLDS with COVID-relief supplies in the height of the pandemic!

CLEAN WATER The foundation of all of the work Acts for Water does is clean, safe water. We’ve built more gravity flow systems than any other NGO, and with your help, we were able to break ground on the home stretch of our three year water project! When COVID hit, we truly thought work would be paused.

Your generosity allowed us to break ground on KOTA in September. Then many gave so generously on GIVING TUESDAY that we were able to extend the project to another 30 families. These 12 taps all turned on and this project serves 300 households!

Your generosity over the Christmas Season allowed us to break ground on the project in Muhaha by January. Despite tough terrain, rainy season and the Ugandan elections, our team persevered and we’re nearly ⅔ completed!

Your generosity leading up to and on WORLD WATER DAY 2021 has allowed us to extend this project even further, up to Kisabo Village to provide 5 more latrines and water to 1,200 more people!

“I firmly believe everyone should have access to clean water and I love, love the way ACTS makes that possible.”

- Acts for Water Donor

"I believe that Acts for Water is setting new standards for sustainability, collaboration and high-impact health and social change. I'm proud to be a supporter, volunteer and advocate for an organization that has helped bring God's love to many for almost 50 years."

- Ed Brett, Donor & Board Chair

110 PEOPLE JOINED THE JERRY CAN PROJECT TO RAISE $21,500

28 PEOPLE MOVED WITH A PURPOSE IN OUR 14,OOO KM WALK FOR WATER RAISING $4,313 FOR KISABO VILLAGE

MOST MEANINGFUL MESSAGE: WATER CONNECTS US ALL

41 BIRTHDAY PRESENTS WERE GIVEN FOR CLEAN WATER TOTALLING $3,633

7,280 NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED REMOTELY FROM HOME BY

3.5 1,468 OF YOU TUNED IN TO HEAR ABOUT THE AHIMBISIBWE FAMILY

STAFF MEMBERS

GLOBAL TV SPOT ON MARCH 22ND OUR CEO, JEFF GOLBY, VISITED GLOBAL NEWS TO TALK WITH NEETU GARCHA ABOUT OUR WORLD WATER DAY CAMPAIGN. AS A RESULT, $9,984 WAS RAISED!

UWASNET’S (UGANDA WATER & SANITATION NGO NETWORK) NEWSLETTER PRAISED ACTS FOR WATER’S COVID-19 INFO BLITZKRIEG - A CONCENTRATED TWO DAY OFFENSIVE THAT SWEPT THROUGH 17 VILLAGES WITH INFO POSTERS & HYGIENE ITEMS, SUCH AS GLOVES, SOAP & BLEACH.

OUR FIRST SOAP INITIATIVE WITH K'PURE WAS LAUNCHED!

LIFE LATHER 256 BOTTLES SOLD $5 FROM EVERY BOTTLE WENT TO CLEAN WATER $1,280

FAVOURITE STAFF READ: THE REDEMPTIVE NON-PROFIT

by Praxis

$5.25 YOUNGEST DONOR GAVE HER TOOTH FAIRY MONEY FOR CLEAN WATER

Let's celebrate that

1,500

STUDENTS

now have access to clean, safe latrines at school because of you!

"When I'm at school, I lack water for drinking and when I feel dizzy in class,

I CAN'T STUDY WELL.

The water source is very far from school so when I could try to go and collect, I find others have proceeded long before me. So I request if there could be a good water tap near my school and home, this can help me study well and meet my dream!"

JULIET'S DREAM COME TRUE. COULD YOU IMAGINE HAVING TO WALK NEARLY 2 HOURS ROUND TRIP TO FETCH WATER MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY AND MISSING OUT ON SCHOOL, WORK, OR MORE? Just one kilometre down the road from Muhaha, where the Acts Uganda team broke ground in February, is a village named Kisabo with over 120 families, none of whom currently have access to clean, disease-free water. For those families, life in Kisabo is limited.

14-year-old Juliet lives there. She endures the limitations of being without water each day and is honest about how dehydration prevents her from doing school work.

Because of your collective generosity over this past World Water Day (March 22nd), $10,000 has been raised to extend our pipeline to reach Kisabo!

Soon this village will have access to your gift of clean, disease-free water. Soon, the walk to fetch water will be much shorter, and very soon, Juliet's dream of studying well will come true ...

Thanks to you!!

90,000

more litres

OF WATER

are flowing daily thanks to you!

OUR FINANCES

When the fiscal year began, COVID prompted us to prepare a budget planning for the worst. However, you, our community, leaned in so generously when it mattered most and so this coming year, we’re going to be able to do even more in Uganda thanks to you!

TOTAL DONATIONS*

$824,355

$98,809

CANADIAN ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

$120,133

FUNDRAISING EXPENSES

RECORD DONOR GROWTH 459

FY 2018-19

425

FY 2019-20

705

FY 2020-21

0

250

500

750

$605,413 PROGRAMMING, RESERVE FOR FUTURE PROJECTS & SUSTAINABILITY

Help us reduce the fundraising cost by joining our monthly membership today!

705

DONORS IN 2020 - HIGHEST EVER IN OUR HISTORY

318

OF THEM NEW TO ACTS FOR WATER

IT REALLY DOES TAKE ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU 3,000 DONATIONS MADE THIS YEAR END WATER POVERTY DONATIONS RANGED FROM $2 - $100,000 HIGHEST TOTAL NUMBER OF MONTHLY MEMBERS

183

AVERAGE DONOR GAVE $1,122 IN THE YEAR AVERAGE MONTHLY MEMBER DONATION $67.50

49 MEMBERS IN 2020

INCREASE IN MONTHLY

*We are an open book. While we’ve included a summary here from our Financial Statements, the full copy can be found on our website https://acts.ca/who-we-are/

Through The Jerry Can Project, $21,500 was raised to provide a lifetime of water for

43 FAMILIES and we witnessed how the gift of water truly does connect us all.

“I value water and want others to have access to it. I chose Acts for Water after doing deep research and knowing their long history in the field. And most importantly, because of the sustainable water resources idea which makes me feel that the impact will be for much longer time.”

- Acts for Water Donor

“I thank Acts for bringing clean water. I was taking 2 hours to go behind the hill to fetch water and would find pigs bathing from the same water I was to collect. But today Acts has brought clean water just near my home! Thank you, I will no longer walk a long distance to fetch water.”

- Angella, Beneficiary

GIVE WATER GROW RESLIENCE Acts for Water is committed to a better way of bringing clean, accessible water to those in desperate need. We have the most incredible foundation to build on as one of Canada’s oldest water charities, and we’re at a critical juncture where we can now lead the way in leveraging the past, while launching into a future filled with tremendous hope and potential.

We're turning 50 soon and the next four years will transform our organization, the sector, and most importantly tens of thousands of children for generations to come as we partner with people like you to help communities receive clean, disease-free water.

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT A WORLD WHERE COMMUNITIES THRIVE FROM THE ELIMINATION OF WATER POVERTY? Join us in this historic campaign to provide clean water differently, more sustainably and more abundantly than ever before by visiting givewater.ca.

PO BOX 30044 MONCTON PO RICHMOND BC V7E 0A6 P | 778 855 4352 E | info@acts.ca