BUVAD

In 2012, Minga began a new partnership with the Butakoola Village Association for Development (BUVAD) to provide clean water to residents of Kayunga County, Uganda. In Kayunga, a large portion of water needs are still satisfied with ground-water sources. Nearly 20 people are admitted to the District Hospital every week suffering from water related diseases such as malaria, typhoid, and dysentery. Some never recover. In addition, the very process of gathering ground-water, which often requires walking far from the safety of one’s own village, puts vulnerable community members (especially women and children) at risk of crime and violence.

To respond to these problems, BUVAD initiated the Rural Communities’ Safe Water Supply Project, whose goal is to finance and construct 72 borehole water wells in Kayunga County villages. With support from StartFund (Netherlands) and individual donors, as well as community members who themselves contribute all of the labor to dig the wells, BUVAD has successfully set up their first four wells: two in Butakoola Village, one in Gaaza Village, and one in Bwetyaaba Village.

Partnering with BUVAD, Minga supported the construction of three additional wells between August 2012 and March 2013. In addition to providing the resources necessary for raw materials and engineering, members of the Minga Board of Directors visited Kayunga in September 2012 to participate in the formation of well management committees. These committees are charged with overseeing the wells’ maintenance over time, ensuring individual compliance with consumption and contribution rules, and gathering data on the wells’ use. In supporting these committees, Minga fulfills its mission of not only providing resources to underserved communities, but also contributing to the design of governance institutions necessary for our projects’ sustainability in the medium- and long-term.

Part of Minga’s activities with BUVAD have also included finding additional support for the activities of the RSWSP. We have helped connect BUVAD to UWASNET, a network of NGOs working in the Ugandan WASH sector. We have also worked with StartFund to train and equip a mechanic who is able to maintain and repair wells, another important factor in sustainability for the project.