TapStand | Volume 5 Edition 1

A Deep Pride

A Deep Pride

Referred to as “the pearl of Africa'' by Winston Churchill, more than ¾ of our Acts for Water team lives and works in Uganda, a country brimming with resources and promise. In this edition of the Tap Stand, hear the voices of our local Ugandan staff as they share, in their own words, the deep pride in their country and the work they do.

“The mesmerizing landscape, thrilling wildlife, tropical rain forests, a variety of cultures, kingdoms, and water springs above the hills make Uganda an ideal place to implement any WASH project. The participatory involvement of all stakeholders ranging from the government to the local communities is enormous.”

ACTS Uganda is where teams support each other and help everyone be part of and own the bigger dream of serving the communities with clean and safe water. The organization's values help define who we are (teamwork, integrity, perseverance, learning, and excellence), and I am very proud of the technology (Gravity Flow Systems) that ACTS Uganda has been implementing in a very unique way for a long time, enabling inclusive access to safe and clean water to communities.”

- Ambrose Monitoring & Evaluation Manager

“I love sanitation and hygiene (WASH) because there is a lot of interaction with people. Here you get to learn how to handle people of different backgrounds and ages. I also love seeing communities working hard to attain certificates; that determination makes me proud. Our team shows perseverance, love, and kindness to these people - trying to be part of them so they feel free and open to us …being patient with people who take a long time to change their behaviour, monitoring them with soft words, and involving stakeholders like health assistants, parish chiefs, LCIS, councilors, and others.”

- Rachel WASH Coordinator

“Uganda is a great country to be doing [this work in] because it is naturally gifted … and the government has its programs in line with the United Nations' goals to supply clean and safe water for all. Our teams have grown in experience, as evidenced by the separation of the group that has kept a good pace of quality work. We have great testimonies of community transformations through encounters with ACTS programs. I recently met a man who was given water by ACTS 20 years ago at a school when his children were already in secondary. He studied, became a great man, and is currently the chairman of the board of governors for some local financial institutions with many branches.

The new innovations have made us achieve our targets, impacted society, and made ACTS a model organization. We find ourselves being ranked 1st when we meet with other organizations in districts, and this has sparked off more determination to go the extra mile.”

- Keith WASH Engineer

“The joy of extending water to more people is immeasurable! Growing up, I fetched water from a long distance with a hill to climb (my worst chore). Being a girl, I always feared the lonely pathway. So now, when a girl can ably fetch water with ease and in an open place, it is very satisfying. The more systems built, the more people are relieved of all these threats and more time saved to be more productive.”

- Hilda Manager of Operations

Not Everyone Wants the Work of Water

This may surprise you, but not all people want clean water. To make that water go further, and keep it clean, means real effort must be made. As Rachel, our WASH Coordinator, shares: “There are people who adamantly refuse to have any change in their behaviours like refusing to wash hands or improving their latrine…people sometimes shy away from us and the training we provide.”

How can you help?

Walk with our team through these challenges by sustained, monthly giving and/or prayer. Your support in any form makes a difference.

“What I love most about Uganda is that people are hospitable and friendly. I am proud of the ACTS Uganda team for how the work we do helps the lives of people. We go to communities with poor sanitation and hygiene - where nine out of ten households have no latrine - and can help turn them into a healthy community, leaving when every household has built a standard latrine…this keeps me motivated every day because I know I will positively impact the lives of so many people.”

- Ritah

Monitoring & Evaluation Assistant

“I'm so proud of our ACTS teamwork …when a department has a heavy workload and deadlines are heating, we combine our efforts so that we face victory together. New innovations that ACTS have introduced to communities have taken them to another level - like skills they acquired in making shoes, bags, and pads. People are now making money from these skills, clearing up their loans, and washing daily because they have water nearby their homesteads and learned to make soap!”

- Athens

Education Officer & Donor Support

In order to launch two projects at once this past year, the ACTS Uganda team expanded to a record 27 members!

They work in 4 departments: WASH (8), Admin (4), GFS (11) & Operations (4) and are spread between both locations (Ibanda & Isingiro Districts), working diligently on the retrofits for legacy water systems, latrine buildings, and hygiene training in each.

2 Projects & 20,000 People

In November 2022, we broke ground on two projects in two locations: at once.

When complete, the two retrofits & extensions of legacy water systems in each of the Ibanda & Isingiro Districts will serve over 20,000 people!

A total of 14.4 kilometres of new pipe will be laid for the extensions.

A combined 140 taps will each be flowing 6,000 litres of clean water daily.

13 safe, clean latrines will be built at 5 schools & 2 health clinics.

Water and Sanitation Hygiene training will take place in 16 villages.

For current project updates, visit acts.ca/projectupdates for more stats and graphs!

From Drought to Overflow

Our team met Harriet in April 2022 when we visited Buharwe Village. She shared how her last name Nyamihanda - “the path” - was given to her because she was born on a path as her mom was trying to make it to the hospital. Harriet, born on a path, was fed dirty water from the swamp all her life. And her 3 children and 8 grandchildren were too. They would walk twice a day, in the heat of the drought to that swamp.

“When I heard people saying ACTS was coming to our village, I did not have hope that one day my heart would settle without fear of my children falling in the dam when fetching water. When I’d see a child climbing this hill with a jerry can of water, I felt the pain in my chest that they experience in their chest too. This situation made my tears painful, which made me anxious all the time without any hope of solving the challenge.”

That’s when you, our community, stepped in. Because of your generosity, and together with 400 volunteers and local Ugandan funding, Harriet’s Village now has clean, disease-free water just steps away from their front door! Her thirst has ended.

That extra time she used to spend walking to collect water has been joyfully traded for time with her family, putting down that heavy jerry can and picking up her grandkids.

“But now, you cannot count the smiles on my face, and my eyes twinkle as I see my children walk only meters to fetch water!”

Amidst a season of drought, thank you for helping make a real difference by giving generously and flooding Harriet's home with joy!!

Clean water and hygiene training are the most critical resources for fighting disease. Together, we can provide more families like Harriet’s with access to these so they can experience the health and hope that follow.

Just one year of giving $10 monthly will provide clean water to one person for life! Automatic giving is the most effective way to join the work in Uganda: it’s convenient for you, limits overhead costs, and keeps the water flowing. As simple as a monthly subscription, with a deep and lasting impact.

Please consider joining our Source Supporter monthly giving community of over 210 members with your monthly gift today: acts.ca/donate.