SUPPORTING DATA

Population: 29.9 million Population younger than 15: 50% Urban population: 12% Birth rate: 48.1% Death rate: 12.6% Under-5 deaths: 14% Infant mortality (deaths per 1000 live births): 79 (compared with 7 in the U.S.) Life expectancy: 45 years GNI per capita: 300 USD Population living below U.S. $1 a day: 85% Population living below poverty line: 35% Income per person (annual): $200 Population growth (annual): 3.6% HIV prevalence: 6.7% Population with improved drinking water: 60% Population with adequate sanitation facilities: 43%  Sources Cited:  World Bank, USAID, United Nation, IFAD  

COUNTRY OVERVIEW

According to the latest UNDP Human Development Index, Uganda is ranked 154th out of a total of 175 countries (Programme, 2008). In Uganda, poverty remains a major impediment to the fulfillment of basic needs of the population, especially women and children. According to UNICEF, 85% of the people in Uganda l ive on less than $1 per day (UNICEF, 2005). Only 60% of Uganda has access to clean drinking water and a mere forty-three percent have adequate sanitation facilities.

The Ugandan (Museveni) government has been taking great strides to put an end to the human rights abuse of earlier governments. Although the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) does not threaten the stability of the government now, at one time 1.7 million Ugandans were displaced, creating a humanitarian catastrophe - particularly when they were forced into IDP camps for their own protection. Women and children represent eighty percent of the population of these camps and are responsible for collecting water. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) some 5.4 million children in Uganda, especially those still living in IDP camps, do not have access to safe drinking water (UNICEF, 2005). These children mainly rely on contaminated surface water from rivers, ponds or dams. The lack of safe water and proper sanitation are among the major causes of childhood diseases in Uganda.

Uganda’s economy has great potential . However, political instability and erratic economic management has left this country the world’s poorest and least developed, primarily dependent on foreign aid. Coffee exports make up half of its export earnings and Uganda is Africa’s largest coffee producer. Other major exports include cotton, tea and maize. Crop production has been hampered by security concerns in the northern and western regions of Uganda. Long periods of forced displacement in northern Uganda have seriously disrupted agricultural productivity in the region, but USAID reports that recent security improvements have allowed a number of farmers to return home and resume normal cultivation.

In war-ravaged northern Uganda hundreds of hand pumps are broken. As a result, people must collect contaminated water from hand-dug wells, rivers and springs that surround the camps, leading to an increase of water-related illnesses. Some pumps were sabotaged while others were completely taken during the conflict. Wells that once provided clean, safe water now sit idle – leading to the digging of unsafe hand dug wells, which cause disease. The construction of new wells and repair of existing wells makes a marked difference in the holistic development of Ugandan communities.

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UGANDA THE WATER CRISIS

An estimated 5,000,000 people die from water-related diseases every year in a persistent global calamity. Africa, in particular, is facing a water and sanitation crisis. The water sector development is unable to keep up with the population growth, this limiting both the economic and social progress within the continent. The statistics are disheartening. Africa has the lowest water supply and sanitation coverage of any region in the world. Over 300 million people, a third of the population do not have access to water supply and sanitation facilities. In sub-Saharan Africa only sixty percent of the population has access to safe water sources. Almost half of the people on the African continent suffer from water-related diseases. Water resources contribute enormously to the economic productivity and social well being of a people, as both their economic and social activities rely heavily on the quantity and quality of its water. In certain areas of the country, availability of water is the limiting factor for local people to engage in any development activities. The role of water and sanitation provision is best served by entities such as NGO’s, institutions, and corporations where the communities become involved as stakeholders. The challenge on one side is for government to provide the necessary facilities to enable children to go through basic primary education. The challenge to parents is to ensure their children remain in school despite the demands to carry out domestic chores, particularity for the girl child, as girls bear the burden of disparities in water and sanitation. Poor access to water plays a significant role, both as an immediate and underlying cause for girls dropping out of school. The proposed LWI program will involve supplying water and sanitation to selected communities in Uganda. This intervention is geared towards providing clean water sources to school aged children and communities who depend on contaminated or muddy seasonal rivers and streams for drinking water, cleaning, and feeding their livestock. Secondly, the intervention will encourage improved community management and use of water resources.

Water is a health issue. At any given time, half of the world’s hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-related illnesses. Nearly 88% of all illnesses in the world are caused by unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. Every year, there are 4 billion cases of diarrhea as a direct result of drinking contaminated water; this results in more than 2.2 million deaths each year—the equivalent of twenty jumbo jets crashing every day. The weakest members of communities are the most vulnerable; every day water-related illnesses claim the lives of 5,000 children under the age of five(UNICEF, 2005). That’s roughly one child every fifteen seconds. Hospitals and pharmacies continually struggle to help indigenous people with their medical problems due to the lack of clean water. In fact, many of the hospitals use the same water as people in surrounding villages – typically from nearby streams, rivers or mud holes. Water is an education issue. Water-related illnesses cost 443 million school days a year. More than 150 million school-age children are severely affected by waterborne parasites like roundworm, whipworm, and hookworm(UNICEF, 2005). These children commonly carry up to 1,000 parasites at a time, causing anemia, stunted growth, and other debilitating conditions. Children who suffer from constant water-related illnesses carry the disadvantages into school. Poor health directly reduces cognitive potential and indirectly undermines schooling through absenteeism, attention deficits, and early drop-out.  Water is a poverty issue. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, 40 billion hours of labor are wasted each year carrying water over long distances(Organization, 2009). Access to clean water is the foundation for other forms of development. Without easy access to water that is safe, countless hours are spent in water collection, household income is spent on purchasing water and medical treatment for water-related diseases. These factors contribute to keeping people trapped in poverty. The statistics indicate a two-way relationship between extreme poverty and lack of access to safe water. About two-thirds of those without access to safe water live on less than $2 a day. Half of these (roughly equivalent to the population of the United States) live on less than $1 a day. Water is a women’s issue. Many women spend fifteen to twenty hours per week collecting water, often walking up to seven miles in the dry season. It is typically women who collect water, often waiting for long periods, and having to get up very early or go out late at night to get their water; they carry heavy water containers for long distances over uneven terrain. It is women who have to buy, scrounge, or beg for water, particularly when their usual sources run dry. The tragedy is that the water they work so hard to collect is often dirty, polluted, and unsafe to drink. Women trapped in this situation have little time for other activities such as child care, rest, or productive work. The time spent collecting water dis-empowers women by reinforcing time-poverty and lowering income.

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The Water Solution

The provision of safe, accessible water is the most important contribution to a community’s health and development. It immediately eliminates harmful bacteria and parasites from people’s drinking water. It immediately frees up time children and women, spend fetching water so they can go to school and engage in productive business activities. It enables the manufacturing of healthy food production. It gives women a safer and more even playing field to serve their families and earn money, as seen so clearly on the following page.  

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UGANDA ABOUT: Living Water International

Living Water International exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water, and to experience “living water”—the gospel of Jesus Christ—which alone satisfies the deepest thirst.    Since 1991, Living Water International has been an implementer of participatory, community-based water solutions in developing nations. In its eighteen-year history, Living Water International has completed 7,000 community water projects in twenty-six countries serving 5 to 10 million people daily (depending on the impact measurement criteria used). Living Water International completed 1,634 water projects in 2008 and continues to scale up its operations to better serve the 884 million people who do not have access to safe water. In 2008, eighty-five percent of the $15 million raised by Living Water International was utilized for programs that benefit families and communities in need. We carefully monitor and review programs and costs, use donations and grants for their intended purposes, and look for ways to maximize the impact of funds, all while striving to keep our overhead rate low. Our effectiveness has earned the trust and support of thousands of individual donors, along with hundreds of churches, corporations, institutions, government agencies, and other nonprofits. Partnership is what Living Water International does with dozens of organizations including Advent Conspiracy, charity: water, the Fermi Project, Global Benefit, Nuru International, and the One Campaign.

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UGANDA

Rehabilitation / Borehole Implementation Process Living Water International always visits with a community prior to a water solution being implemented. The goal of this interaction is to foster a relationship with the community. Then, LWI begins working with a water committee made up of community members. The first thing that the LWI Uganda team does is obtain permission to work on the broken hand pump or survey the well site. They will then come together and assess the situation. During this assessment they will survey the condition of the well, pull the pump and all of its parts out and then figure out what part(s) of the well need to be repaired or replaced. If the community is in need of a new borehole, the LWI Uganda team leaders then determine the best location for the well, which will affect the most people. Depending on the condition of the hand pump, the team will then make sure they have the proper replacement parts and tools. LWI is currently seeking to rehabilitate 25 wells in Uganda for 2009. LWI Uganda has found that many well rehabilitations stem from communities utilizing rope pumps, Kardia, Vergnet and worn India Mark II pumps. LWI is able to chlorinate, develop and seal off these wells, which have been found at depths as great as 300 feet. LWI then removes the pump and replaces it with a new India Mark II hand pump. Once the team installs the new pump equipment in the well, it is chlorinated to kill any harmful bacteria that was introduced during the repair or drilling process. The village is asked not to use the hand pump for 24 to 48 hours after the repair is completed. This allows the chlorine to do its job properly. Once the repairs are completed, the community is gathered together to celebrate and dedicate the fact that they once again or for the first time have clean, safe drinking water. Hospitals and pharmacies continually struggle to help indigenous people with their medical problems due to the lack of clean water. In fact, many of the hospitals use the same water as people in surrounding villages – typically from nearby streams, rivers or mud holes. Our goal for Uganda is to rehabilitate 25 wells in the Northern region of the country. LWI also intends to aid equipment needs in the country by providing a new drill rig to LWI Uganda implementers in 2009. Well rehabilitation costs are $3,000 in the Northern region of Uganda.

Program Goals / Objectives Problem Identification. Diseases such as Malaria, diarrhea, respiratory infections and the compounding effects of malnutrition are the main causes of mortality and morbidity among children. If the water and sanitation issues are not addressed in rapid fashion, the possibility of an epidemic of water borne diseases is tremendous (i.e. typhoid, dysentery, cholera), and LWI desires to move expeditiously to meet this need before this possible disaster becomes a reality. Beneficiaries/Involvement of Beneficiaries. LWI will continue to repair and drill wells in Uganda for many years to come. LWI will undertake a drilling program which will endeavor to meet the needs of the rural population (88 percent of households) where wells currently do not exist. The intent is to make the orphanages, hospitals and primary schools in and around the community a focal point for water and sanitation and health and hygiene education. Through the education of children, a nation’s future can be changed from one of warfare to peace, stability and security. Stakeholders. LWI has performed an assessment of the water and sanitation situation and believe that we can provide a comprehensive program which will address the immediate needs for clean, safe water to the rural communities of Uganda. LWI is currently working to meet these needs daily, but requires additional funding to improve health (including the restoration of damaged hand pumps), expand educational opportunities, and help restore a sense of pride and worth in the rural communities of Uganda. LWI Uganda has trained staff which we employ to rehabilitate and drill water wells. Our indigenous teams continue to service rural water projects under the supervision of LWI staff. Living Water International intends to provide the following for each community served:

Provide clean, safe drinking water for a community in need   Provide health and hygiene education to recipients of the water well   Provide community pastor/leader with LWI contact in case their well falls into disrepair   Train and empower nationals (LWI employs a national staff) to continue the work in their country Reduce the burden for women and children to collect water for their families Create an awareness of Jesus Christ and both the living and physical water He provides

 

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UGANDA LWI Uganda’s strategy in the country is to develop a water project in a pre-selected community (typically community leaders seek out LWI Uganda teams to develop a sanitary water system for their communities), allowing for that entire community to have access to at least one source of clean, safe drinking water. If necessary LWI Uganda will revisit communities served by LWI and provide an additional, at times several depending on the size of the community, new boreholes in order to properly sustain the entire community. This system also helps develop and strengthen the relationship between LWI Uganda and the community. LWI Uganda also equips the country leader or pastor with an LWI Uganda contact incase their well falls into disrepair. Well Rehabilitation Costs are as follows: Well rehabilitation costs are $3,000 and each well rehabilitation will immediately and significantly impact the lives of approximately 1,000 people and create a foundation for sustainable medical health. New Borehole Costs are as follows: New borehole costs are $15,000 for wells and will immediately impact the lives of approximately 1,000 people. Each well will have the capacity to serve approximately 10,000 people per day. The wells will be drilled in areas with little or no access to water or where the nearest water source is polluted and disease-ridden.    4 Step Implementation Process The implementation process in each location will be carried out in 4 phases as follows:

PHASE I: Documentation and Training The documentation phase will involve the carrying out of a survey to provide the necessary indicators for the drilling/rehabilitation of the well in selected locations. This step is necessary to determine the best option for the community. This phase will also involve training communities in health and hygiene education. Each community will be provided with participatory lessons and materials which will be displayed and discussed in the community. PHASE II: Borehole Implementation Phase II will involve mobilization of LWI personnel and equipment to the borehole site, furnishing and installing casing and slotted borehole screen as needed to the total depth and the installation of gravel pack to prevent sand production, will be done. Developing the borehole to remove all debris and loose sand follows. Thereafter, a pumping test will be carried out on the borehole. These activities will be followed by the capping of the borehole casing and construction of 4’ x 6’ thick concrete. By using LWI equipment, Living Water International will save time, money, and energy by not having to go through contractors in order to drill deeper boreholes. LWI Uganda is currently using a TDS reading to determine the purity of the water source at each well site. PHASE III: Rehabilitating an Existing Pump Phase III will involve (given phase II is not selected for the existing water project) an assessment of the broken/damaged hand pump by LWI Uganda teams. LWI prefers to partner with local entities, governmental organizations or other NGO’s in the area in order to better determine the cause of the pump/well damage. After surveying the pump site, LWI Uganda assesses and diagnoses the pump problem then typically pulls and replaces all parts to the well. LWI salvages used parts from the rehabilitated well, restores and re-uses parts if possible. PHASE IV: Pump Installation The fourth implementation phase will involve supplying and installing the pump. Thereafter a riser main will be installed and a pump cylinder is placed at the operating depth. It is also at this time that LWI Uganda teams leave a contact with the community leader or pastor.  

Monitoring and Evaluation of the Program LWI’s Program Manager will be in-charge of monitoring the implementation of the program. He/she will monitor the progress from the first to the fourth phase. The indicators for the progress of the program will be: Technical Sustainability. LWI will provide a contact for trained LWI Uganda personnel, which will be provided to the community leader or pastor. This representative is well trained and familiar with operations and maintenance of the borehole. Community leaders also select a water committee who maintains the well unless it becomes necessary for the leader or pastor to contact a LWI Uganda representative.  

 

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  UGANDA Project Framework

Purpose. LWI desires to continue playing a major role in sustaining and eventually improving the economy of Uganda. In order to accomplish this tremendous task we will be seeking to partner with other agencies and funding sources to expand the water development program. By doing so, LWI Uganda will be better able to fulfill and sustain the need for safe, clean drinking water for impoverished communities, some who have never known clean water. LWI would also have the capability to complete more large water projects for schools, orphanages and hospitals. All LWI Uganda programs will include providing and/or improving sanitation facilities and health and hygiene education. LWI is committed to meeting the needs of the people of Uganda and with assistance we can impact the lives of thousands of people in desperate need, and continue to develop our presence with in-country representatives living there to operate and supervise the water programs. By doing so, LWI and partners will be able to: Outputs/Activities.

Alleviate water scarcity by repairing or drilling boreholes at schools, hospitals, orphanages and/or community locations that have been selected.

Prepare on site operations to include shallow wells, deep wells, and rehabilitated wells. Encourage the enrollment and retention of the girl child who more often than not bears the brunt of household

chores, particularly obtaining water. Promote good management of the available water sources.   Maintain the water resource that will be made available through the rehabilitation or drilling of boreholes.   Drastically reduce the number of water borne illnesses and deaths in these communities especially for

children under the age of five.   Drastically reduce the time and energy used by women and children to collect water, therefore investing their

time in schooling for children, especially girls, and allow women to generate an additional and needed family income.  

Improve performance of the students through availing them more study time, which they previously used collecting water.

Promote health and hygiene through training.

The provision of reliable and adequate sources of clean, safe drinking water will improve the water and sanitation standards within the schools and surrounding communities. It is expected that the hygiene standards of the children and that of the school will be dramatically improved. Through the training of the children, the health in the local household will improve greatly as the children teach their siblings and parents good health and hygiene practices. Water-related illness such as malaria, parasites and dysentery will also be greatly reduced.

The strain on the girls to provide water before and after classes will be reduced as the water will be located at a more convenient distance. The physical well-being of the pupils will improve due to less strain caused by the demand of locating and transporting water. More children will be able to remain in school as their health will not be jeopardized by utilizing water from unsanitary sources.

The education standards of the schools are expected to be greatly improved as the extra time, energy, and effort that previously went to obtaining water will now be used for school work and generating additional income (for women). Further, it is anticipated that the presence of a reliable water source at the schools will be a launching pad for addressing other societal problems. It is the provision of sustainable sources of clean water that opens other avenues for poverty alleviation projects in the community.  

 

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  UGANDA

Living Water International currently operates in Africa (Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Angola, Central Africa Republic, Nigeria, Namibia, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya), Latin America (Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Mexico, Peru), and in India and Romania. Living Water International provides safe water through a three-pronged approach of training, equipping and consulting with national and international teams and organizations as well as managing Living Water International-named NGOs. LWI Kenya was established in 1992 to carry out the mission. Subsequently, the organization has expanded to drill and/or rehabilitate boreholes in 26 countries and is an accredited NGO in 25 countries and the USA. Over the years, LWI has grown steadily and now has a total operating budget of over $13,400,000 annually which allows the provision of clean, safe water to over 10,000,000 people annually. LWI has never left a country where we have begun operations. LWI has dedicated personnel, materials and other resources to assist the people of Uganda in sustaining their communities. Each community based program will have a newly rehabilitated borehole and health and hygiene training. Train. Living Water International conducts the most comprehensive training in integrated water solutions available to community development volunteers and professionals. LWI trainees have gone on to work with a wide variety of public and private-sector organizations. Participants are prepared to train others, with the goal of seeing national teams meeting the needs of their own people. Training in well drilling, well-repair and health and hygiene occurs stateside; it is also a part of each of our country operations. Equip. Living Water International provides trained national teams with all the components needed to implement community water solutions. LWI supplies capital outlay and logistic support, growing the national teams to be self-sustaining. Local people are hired and local materials are purchased whenever possible, creating jobs and income to further benefit the community at large. Consult. Living Water International is committed to making information and expertise available to facilitate water solutions wherever they are needed most. Consultation is a natural outgrowth of training and equipping—and is a practical way that LWI can walk alongside other organizations that wish to include a water component to their work. Efforts are multiplying as LWI acts as a consultant to other organizations desiring to meet the global need for safe, clean water. Location. For the past eight years, Living Water International has worked throughout the northern region of the country. LWI put together a national team, trained them, and established an in country water program of drilling shallow wells and repairing existing broken wells for communities in need. Currently, LWI Uganda utilizes a PRD Double Super Air/Mud Rotary drilling machine. The country drilling depth average would be around 100 feet; however drilling depth is dependent on how close to the coast drilling occurs. Drilling can occur in soil and soft rock formations and boreholes are expected to be at approximate maximum depths of 100 feet.

Design. We expect to continue utilizing the PRD Double Super Air/Mud Rotary drilling machine, which will benefit 25 entire communities in Uganda who desperately need clean, safe water. This will also save time, money, and energy by not having to go through contractors in order to drill deeper boreholes. Living Water International will also establish an ongoing in-country presence that will oversee the current and future operations in Uganda.

   

Project Approach

About LWI Uganda Program

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  UGANDA Well rehabilitation program As Living Water International has grown and expanded into new areas, it has found that many communities were provided with a water-well at some point in the past, but were not trained to maintain or provide a contact (if they were not drilled by LWI teams) who could come and repair the pump if it fell into disrepair. In many parts of the world, the problem is not neglect. Communities in war-torn countries have suffered vandalism and destruction of their wells by the gangs and rebel factions that terrorized them. Some countries experience natural disasters, such as many Central American countries who suffer from series of hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, among other natural and tropical storms. As conflict subsides, these communities need help getting their wells repaired and pumps replaced. When arriving in a community with a broken well, our teams ask four initial questions:

Do we have permission to work on the well? Is there water in the well? Do we have the knowledge to repair this pump? Do we have the necessary tools and parts to repair the

pump? The well may have broken for just a couple of months, or for years. When approaching the pump, it may not be evident what

the problem is. The well may only require a minor repair to the pump: a chain may be broken, or a bolt missing. However, in many cases, the entire system is rusted and corroded from the aquifer below, and a full rehabilitation is needed. Installing new pipe in the well is often part of the process. Since this step introduces bacteria into the water, chlorine is introduced into the well to sterilize it. The sterilization process can last up to 48 hours, at which time water must be pumped until all the chlorine has been flushed from the system. Teams that perform well rehabilitations are trained to develop a follow-up strategy with the local people, providing them with a LWI contact who can assist them when maintenance and repairs become necessary. Water and Education Training Living Water International and its local affiliate’s help communities learn ways to improve hygiene, prevent water-related illness, and encourage community care of water and sanitation facilities. This is accomplished through teaching principles and practices of hand washing, clean water collection and storage, disease transmission, and sanitation and proper care of waste. Well drilling, rehabilitation and hygiene program integration Clean, safe water must be effectively utilized by the local community to prevent illness and childhood mortality. This requires adoption of changed health and hygiene behaviors. Additionally, health and hygiene training cannot be effective if community members still drink dangerously unsafe water that makes them ill and often kills them. Neither clean water nor behavioral change can independently bring about a substantial improvement in the health of a community. Every community that receives clean water from LWI will receive health and hygiene training, and every community that receives health and hygiene training will receive clean water.  

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  UGANDA LWI has formed strong relationships within the regions we operate. This has aided in our ability to ensure proper community selection. For new wells, our in-country team has regular meetings with established local community leadership “committees”. In addition, before beginning work in a new area, our team will often hold region meetings to discuss water needs. Community leaders from surrounding communities will attend these meetings to advocate for their community. After a community is selected, and prior to project start, our team will visit the community to complete a site survey. During this site visit, the LWI Uganda team will work with the community to determine level of water need, help to organize labor help for project completion, and will generally seek to establish a good relationship with the community and community leaders and pastor. Living Water International believes that relationships are critical to ensure the sustainability of water projects. While working with a community, LWI always seeks to partner with the local church; specifically, a local pastor. Health and hygiene occurs at every project site. Hygiene education is typically geared towards women in the community – as they are often in the best position to implement and train others (family) to these principles. In addition, LWI is actively rehabilitating wells. Wells chosen for rehabilitation are either existing boreholes with broken pumps, or hand-dug, open-top contaminated wells. In Uganda, we find that many open-top wells are fitted with a rope-pump. These pumps are faulty by design, and most we encounter are broken or near broken. In addition, these pumps do not provide a sanitary closed/sealed water source, as they allow in outside contaminates. Communities are immediately benefited through the disinfection/sealing of these open wells, and the installation of a superior India Mark II hand-pump. LWI’s investment after project completion. As stated above, LWI believes that relationships are at the heart of sustainability. For example: LWI intentionally seeks to work through the local church, whenever possible. In addition, Living Water International will always work through the community leader or pastor. By doing this, we form “friendships” within communities, which alert us of problems with the well, given they may or will (over time) arise. Our contact information is always given to the community leader and/or pastor that help to oversee the well. LWI continues to maintain our completed projects in Uganda.    

LWI’s Approach in Uganda

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UGANDA LWI Priorities

Community Involvement. Living Water International strives to develop a relationship with each community prior to implementing a water solution. Living Water International is able to learn from the community what water solution will be the most appropriate, practical, and functional for the specific community. The committee may participate in the implementation. This imparts a sense of ownership of the water source to the community.  

Appropriate Technology. Living Water International has direct experience with most available water technology. Rather than implement a generic solution for every community we serve, we always seek to use technology appropriate to a community’s history, culture, and lifestyle. In most situations, LWI continues to find that hand-pumps are the most suitable, sustainable solutions for rural communities in need of safe, clean water. Parts for repairing these pumps are non-proprietary, and can be found almost anywhere in the world. Reliable Solutions. The reliability of a water solution really speaks to whether appropriate technology is or is not being used. Living Water International does not seek to implement the cheapest solution available. When overall cost becomes the only factor considered, or when sustainability and cost become synonymous, communities are not served. Rather, communities are taught to further rely on water sources that are reliable, but not safe- such as rivers, lakes, and swamps. LWI works at the community level to implement a water solution that is sustainable and dependable. Maintenance and Sustainability. Living Water International makes every effort to ensure the life-long provision of safe, clean water in each community served. Local people are provided a Living Water International contact who is trained in the care of water solutions.

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Expected Impact

The provision of reliable and adequate sources of clean, safe drinking water will improve the water and sanitation standards within the schools and surrounding communities. It is expected that the hygiene standards of the children and that of the school will be dramatically improved.   Through the training of the children, the health in the local household will improve greatly as the children teach their siblings good health and hygiene practices. Amoebic dysentery, bacterial infections (from fecal coliforms or human waste), malaria (contracted from dirty, standing water), staph infections and guardia are all common water related diseases in Uganda. It is common to see people come in to clinics with symptoms including: headaches, dehydration, diarrhea (which can kill infants overnight), fatigue, and weakness from not having an abundance of or any water to drink. Water flushes impurities out of our bodies which is necessary in order for our bodies to function correctly. When people defecate into the same water they bathe, they can transmit blood flukes. Typhoid fever comes from contaminated water. In conclusion, without clean, abundant water, there are numerous disease processes that prevent people from building up their community infrastructure, children from learning in their classrooms and increase the infant mortality rate. Sanitation and hygiene have little meaning without good water for consumption, cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc. In Uganda, poverty remains a major impediment to fulfillment of the basic needs of the population, especially women and children. The high incidence of poverty has undermined the government’s ability to address pressing needs such as clean water, sanitation, primary healthcare, nutrition and basic education. Lack of clean, safe water as well as poor health and sanitation serve to entrench poverty due to low productivity. Low levels of agricultural production are unable to provide economic stability for the country during dry seasons. Once a water project is implemented, the strain on girls to provide water before and after classes will be reduced as the water will be located at a more convenient distance. The physical well-being of the pupils will improve due to less strain caused by the demand of locating and transporting water. More children will be able to remain in school as their health will not be jeopardized by taking water from unsanitary sources. The provision of sanitary facilities at each school campus will change the quality of sanitation for the community. The education standards of the school’s are expected to be greatly improved as the extra time, energy and effort that previously went to obtaining water will now be used for school work. Further, it is anticipated that the presence of a reliable water source at the schools will be a launching pad for addressing other societal problems. It is the provision of sustainable sources of clean water that opens other avenues for poverty alleviation projects in the community.  

UGANDA

Bibliography Organization, W. H. (2009, January 1). WHO. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from WHO: http://www.who.int

Programme, U. N. (2008, January 1). UNDP Human Development Index Reports. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from UNDP: http://hdr.undp.org/en/

UNICEF. (2005, August 4). Uganda. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from UNICEF: http://www.unicef.org/uganda.html

 

 

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Africa Renewal MInisries (ARM) is located in Ggaba, Uganda, East Africa, Their desire is to reach the lost and to renew the people of Africa through salvation and education. They accomplish this through the love of Christ that provides hope in desperate circumstances. Pastor Peter Kasirivu founded and has led this ministry since 1990, and with God's guidance, has grown it from a house church of 15 people to a congregation of over 1,500 who participate in the various ministries of ARM.  

ARM focuses on spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ through planting churches and starting and supporting schools, orphanages, and clinics. Their vision is: To develop “Next Generation” Christian leaders in Africa who transform society by living Christian lives based on Biblical principles.

ARM Uganda's mission is to enhance the holistic development of the child, church and community through support systems that shall ensure next generation Christian leaders. ARM ministers to adults by introducing single mothers to cottage trades and men to business mentoring and pastoral training. Our child sponsorship program allows children in dire circumstances to be fed, clothed and educated. With the help of Children's Hunger Fund, our Mercy Ministry supplies food to supplies food to thousands of children and adults in the war-torn and AIDS-ravaged areas of northern Uganda.

ARM is a member of the Evangelical Fellowship of Uganda. The ministry also has a US-based support organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. A US Board of Directors provides guidance, accountability and support for ministry operations in Uganda. ARM has many ministry partners and church-to-church partnerships. Here are some we are familiar with:

Community Bible Church, San Antonio, TX Compassion International, Colorado Springs, CO Cornerstone Community Church, Simi Valley, CA First Presbyterian, Houston, TX Houston's First Baptist Church, Houston, TX Living Water International, Stafford, TX Maranatha Bible Church, Converse, TX Mariners Church, Irvine, CA The Next Generation Alliance, part of the Luis Palau Association, Portland, Oregon Rock Harbor Church, Costa Mesa, CA Samaritan's Purse, Boone, NC Wayside Chapel, San Antonio, TX

For more information on ARM check out www.africarenewal.org

Africa Renewal Ministries  

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One of ARM’s church plants is Rushere Community Church. Pastor Gerald has been serving here one year in 2010. Over this year the church has grown from 35 to over 100. Since so many walk from so far they have started what they call home cells where they invite neighbors in weekly to share stories, pray, read the Bible together and share their belongings with those in need. Currently the church is on rented land and in a temporary building. This is affecting their outreach as culturally you aren't taken seriously unless you own land. It gives people a sense of security that they are not going to show up one day and the church is gone. So many people are waiting to become a part of this congregation until they purchase land. This is their number one prayer request right now. Pastor Gerald’s vision is for this to be a city church that reaches the village, to do more than just spiritual things, they want to be a church of faith in action. They want to do developmental things in the community like providing clean water (there is only one bore hole in this city for 30,000 people and the tap water in unreliable, you can go months with any water coming out of the faucet and it is very expensive), build a school and a clinic to address the big HIV and Malaria problems in this city. They are spiritually concerned about Rushere, specifically with the Muslims who are building a mosque a few hundred feet from their church and with an occult movement called Bacwezi that involves the traditional worship of demons and a strong attachment to cows because "Jesus was born with cows". Pastor Jerald reports that this movement has almost 300 followers because these people are so desperate for miracles. They read the Bible but they are searching for a god they can see. The desperation is a physical need that becomes a spiritual need and the followers see the human leader as their healer who promises healing but for a price. One woman said she had spent over 3 million shillings (the equivalent of over $1500US) and nothing improved for her. About one dozen people have come to Rushere Community Church and have been delivered from the Bacwezi cult. Pastor Gerald describes his community as "people desperate for God, but lacking direction. This town needs a church with a vision to take the church to the godless places. We will be that church!"

“Relief is easier to do than development. It is much simpler to drop food out of airplanes or to ladle soup out of bowls than it is to develop long-lasting, time-consuming relationships with poor people, which can be emotionally exhausting. Changes within individuals and communities are not instantaneous; long-term relationships are needed to bring out the best of “what is” and of “what could be”. The people of Uganda have capacities, skills and resources that need to be tapped if genuine development is to be realized, but the process of identifying and mobilizing these gifts and assets takes time.” –Steve Corbett from When Helping Hurts

What excites us about development is that it is not done to people, or for people, but with people. Development is a process of ongoing change that moves all people involved-both the “helpers” and the “helped”-closer to being in right relationship with God, self, others and the rest of creation. In particular, as the materially poor develop, they are better able to fulfill their calling of glorifying God by working and supporting themselves and their families with the fruits of that work.

UGANDA Rushere Community Church  

Africa needs development, not more relief aid  

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Population: 30,000

Location: Southern Uganda Primary occupation: dairy farmers Secondary occupation: tailors Points of interest:

• Most of Uganda’s milk comes from this city • The president of Uganda grew up near here has a weekend home near here, so there is a healthy interest

from the government to see sustainable community development in Rushere • Topography similar to Texas hill country

Spiritual temperature: lots of searching, desperate for an active spirituality, but lacking of direction.

River Pointe’s driving philosophy in it’s approach to missions involvement in the world is to invest a lot in a few places in contrast to investing a little in a lot of places. We believe that a long-term investment brings a greater yield and matches the relational approach to ministry that River Pointe was built on and continues to minister in. We have done this locally by adopting North Richmond, an impoverished community near our church and we have been praying about how to do this globally to bring balance to our great commission approach to missions to the uttermost parts.

As a result of our strong relationship with Living Water International, Richard Logan was introduced to Africa Renewal Ministries (ARM). A well established, strategic and respected ministry in Uganda, Africa that specializes in adopting needy communities in Uganda for the purpose of spreading the gospel through church planting and community development. So in February of 2010 Richard Logan headed to Uganda to meet Pastor Peter Kasirivu the founder of ARM and pastor of Gaba Community Church.

River Pointe Church has the opportunity to be actively involved in a church-planting movement in Uganda by adopting a community, specifically Rushere, starting a church and addressing the key development issues for that community such as access to clean water, child sponsorships, building schools and clinics, and micro-finance enterprise. No one has done anything in Rushere, no NGO’s have come, UNICEF hasn’t come, Rushere is a frontier of unmet need and ripe with potential for the Gospel to be shared and the community to be transformed.

River Pointe’s Opportunity: The Back Story  

Rushere, Uganda Overview   UGANDA

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Develop a 3-year strategic partnership between Africa Renewal Ministries, River Pointe Church, Rushere Community Church and Living Water International for the community development and transformation of Rushere, Uganda. This investment will include a multi-ministry partnership:

1. Complete exploratory trip to see ARM’s and LWI’s work firsthand in Uganda and Rushere

2. Host Pastor Peter hear about Rushere from his perspective, discuss the partnership

3. Establish a memorandum of understanding

4. Community plan, survey and map drawn out 5 Living Water completes Geological Survey $400, finds land for the borehole that will remain free to the public, investigates existing tap water system and explore why it’s drying up. 6. Time-line from ARM for the first 3 years (see the sample on following page) 7. Return to Uganda with the first team and kick-off the first development project and have Patrick teach at the church planter leadership conference 8. Host ARM’s African Children’s Choir 9. Collect Christmas offering for work in Uganda

• River  Pointe  Church  (RPC)  

• Living  Water  InternaAonal  (LWI)  

• Rushere  Community  Church  (RCC)  

• Africa  Renewal  Ministries  (ARM)  

ARM  planted  and  supports  

RCC  

ARM  &  RCC  access  and  prioriAze  community  

needs    

RPC  partners  with  RCC  &  

ARM  to  develop  Rushere  

LWI  partners  with  ARM  &  

RPC  to  provide  access  to  clean  

water  in  Rushere  

UGANDA UGANDA

Recommendation  

Logistics  

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This is a model that we can work towards but with flexibility as time and position of the Ugandan church partner vary and how quickly plans can progress.

1st Year:

Visit by team twice before the partnership begins

1) Trip 1: is a Visionary trip 2) Trip 2 : is for Formalizing Partnership agreement and details

Each trip is ended with a time at Gaba for discussion and debrief and further planning and evaluation.

The immediate focus of the partnership should be the “building the Body of Christ” within the community, then consideration for other ministry activities as appropriate.

2nd Year:

The Partner Church may again consider making two mission trips to Uganda.

Each trip is tailored to the needs and focus of what is going on, on the ground in Uganda.

Each trip is ended with a time at Gaba for discussion and debrief and further planning and evaluation.

We thought it best to split the objectives into two categories as there would be a definite focus on each but they need different strategies and team members.

Physical:

Checklist of things we would like to see on the ground.

These can be started or planned for during the second year.

• Land owned under ARM • Church building structure • Water provision • Power Supplies / generator / mains? • Look to launch a Mercy Network on site for the most vulnerable. (this leads into a CDP programme) • Child Development programme begin or start. This involves research of local area and community to

find schools to which the children can attend. To launch, begin looking at 300 children.

Spiritual:

These are goals that would be worked upon by both sides of the partnership relating to the Ugandan Church,

To help the Pastor develop a stable and growing Bible Church in the community. To aid and develop leadership development we suggest sending some of the key strategic leaders in the

church to attend GBI for Pastoral Training. (GBI is the Bible school run from Gaba and is part of the ARM family)

ARM’s 3-Year Sample Plan for Church-to-Church Partnerships  

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To pray for, encourage, and engage the partnering Western Partner To provide leadership development and direction in the spiritual and physical transformation of the village. To commit to the partnership in deed and action To follow God’s calling in developing and discipling the local body of believers. To effectively communicate activities of the ministry (the progress, needs, and challenges) on a regular

basis by completing the ARM communication documents o A quarterly written report identifying the status of the ministry such as successes, challenges,

dreams. This report will most definitely include pictures and stories of impact. o Predetermined financial reporting

3rd Year:

The Partner Church in the US again will be encouraged to bring 2 mission teams to Uganda throughout the year. Some partners actually desire to move up to three visits, although this is totally dependent on the economy and their finances.

Physical:

These are all the next things to begin to plan for:

o As the opportunities open to move into community projects: o Consider a Christian World View School o Consider a Medical Clinic o Consider orphanages or specialty homes for the vulnerable o Consider means of self-sustainability i.e. pigs, chicken, farms, or whatever other ideas may work o Consider micro finance or micro business support for self sustainability

Spiritual:

To build strength within the church To help put systems in place which enable the church to grow spiritually.

These include raising and training of elders.

An Administration structure to help facilitate the church and teaching on key Biblical Principles to enable the church to function like Tithing, Serving, Ministry.

To provide specific interaction between the western leadership and Ugandan leadership, particularly building and empowering the leadership of the Ugandan church.

To move into a regular, healthy communication pattern that is easily set up and easily managed by both sides which is part of the normal church programme. This includes two way news so that each church is praying regularly and informatively for one another.

Creating a sense of unity and togetherness in the Kingdom between the partners that moves way beyond financial towards working relationships.

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