How a UNICEF-EU-IGAD motorized water scheme increased access to water and improved sanitation
Joyce Koliba, a 30-year-old mother of four children from South Sudan uses the water for domestic use
Most readers will dismiss the “water is life” adage as a tired, overused cliché. But access to water has been life-changing for people such as Joyce Koliba, a 30-year-old mother of four children who fled conflict in South Sudan.
Koliba used to wake up at 4 a.m. to line up at a lone borehole in Mirieyi Refugee Settlement to fetch water for domestic use. Despite her best efforts, she would find a long queue snaking the corners of their grass-thatched huts.
“The earliest I would come back home was noon, unable to engage in any other useful activity. The best I would do is prepare lunch, wash utensils and bathe my children,” she narrates.
But since UNICEF with support from the European Union (EU) through the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) built a water stand 10 metres from her house, Koliba has not only improved the sanitation in the home but has also made a bit of money from backyard gardening.
She uses some of the water she collects to irrigate her okra, cabbages and sukuma wiki in a 30x60m garden.
“I started planting vegetables in 2017 to supplement my children’s nutrition, but the sun would roast the seeds in the ground. Since November 2021, when the taps started flowing, I have harvested thrice. I sell the produce in the market and make about Shs60,000 (US$15) which I use to pay school fees, buy clothes and other items for the home,” she adds.
Not far away from Koliba’s home is Odego Geoffrey, the proprietor of GLK Vegetables. He uses soft drink plastic bottles as handmade irrigation tools that have turned his three acres garden into a food basket for Ofua Sub-County.
Odego, a former construction worker, used his experience to partition the garden and connect it to water using just 400 metres of horse pipe.
He then connects the pipes to the plastic bottles suspended on poles. Using the smallest pin, he pricks tiny holes at the bottom of the bottles to create a water sprinkle over a large circumference.
“I plant soybeans, broccoli, green pepper, beetroot, passion fruit, ginger, tomatoes, watermelon, cucumber and pumpkins. I also have a piggery with 13 animals that benefit from the water and the garden. From these projects, I earn between Shs800,000 (US$213) to Shs1 million (US$265) a month,” Odego said.
The situation was not always rosy for Odego before UNICEF extended water to his community. He used to make rounds with a homemade cart, wheeled by an ox to fetch water three and a half kilometres away. Not only was the yield low, but it also took a health toll on the 48-year-old to a point that he contemplated giving up.
Odego, a Ugandan national, has now built a permanent house and supports his daughter through school without hassle.
“Next year, my daughter will join the university. I have no stress about paying for school fees because of this garden and the water from UNICEF. The water has been a blessing to me and my garden,” Odego gratefully says.
He is currently working on a nursery bed of tomatoes, cabbages and onions, from which he plans to give each homestead ten seedlings of each variety to plant in their backyard. This way, he says, they will also know the benefit of the water and start using it to support their livelihoods.
Sustainability
Using water from the motorised water systems for farming is not the primary goal, according to Eng. Richard Izakare, the Adjumani District Water Officer. We built these water systems to support the district’s COVID-19 response efforts, especially with the influx of refugees.
“Water is a critical resource in life. These two motorised water systems have moved our readiness to fight not just COVID-19 but other hygienic diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrheal from almost 0 per cent to over 80 per cent in two years,” Izakare says.
However, like most donor-funded projects, sustainability has always been a challenge. With UNICEF support, Izakare has pioneered a community management model that gives the end-users ownership and power over the water systems in their areas.
The women-led sub-county water boards have been trained and equipped to maintain, fix and protect the water systems. To achieve this goal, they have set a levy of Shs2,000 (US$0.53) per month for each home in the area.
Other community members, such as Odego, who use the water for farming, contribute Shs5,000 (US$1.3). Since November 2021, Ofua Sub-County Water Board has collected Shs535,000 (US$142).
According to Jane Limio, the Board’s treasurer, the money is used to fuel the generator whenever the sun is down, replace broken parts such as taps and pipes, and pay technical personnel. The security of the water systems is guaranteed by the community, cost-free.
