Theresa Gall & John Fitzpatrick Wedding

THERESA GALL & JOHN FITZPATRICK WEDDING

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Theresa & Jack's Masindi Well Wedding Project

Provides 1,800 people in Masindi with clean drinking water
add to watch list

Theresa & Jack's Masindi Well Wedding Project

Provides 1,800 people in Masindi with clean drinking water
add to watch list

Theresa & Jack's Masindi Well Wedding Project

Provides 1,800 people in Masindi with clean drinking water
add to watch list

Theresa & Jack's Masindi Well Wedding Project

Provides 1,800 people in Masindi with clean drinking water

Project Summary

Small communities in Western Uganda's Masindi district struggle to meet their most basic needs. The majority of Masindi’s residents are subsistence farmers who raise crops such as maize and cassava to feed their families and sell for a small profit. Currently, many of the district's villages seriously suffer from a lack of basic services such as clean water and proper sanitation. For most families, the distance to protected water source is so great that many are forced to collect water from nearby contaminated pools. These sources expose the villagers to serious water-borne diseases including typhoid, giardia and intestinal worms.

This project will ensure 1,200 residents of Masindi are provided with a protected source of clean water as well as the tools they need to improve sanitation and health standards in their community. It will specifically fund the construction of a shallow hang-dug well and the purchase of adequate tools to help all the residents of one village to build pit latrines within their homesteads. These improvements will considerably reduce the frequency of disease in the village and allow families to enjoy a better quality of life.

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What?

A shallow well will be hand dug in one of Masindi's villages. Once a satisfactory depth is reached, the well will be lined with bricks to provide structural support for its walls. To ensure the well is protected from contamination, it will be capped with a concrete slab and equipped with a hand pump. A drainage system will also be constructed to prevent any standing water from accumulating around the pump base.

Community members will be provided with pick axes and shovels to excavate the pits in their homes and construct pit latrines. They will then use local materials to build the superstructure. A health seminar and subsequent follow ups will also be conducted in the village to emphasize good hygienic practices.

Why?

In Masindi, the consumption of dirty drinking water causes numerous preventable diseases. These illnesses often lead to debilitating symptoms such as diarrhea, which can weaken adults and prove fatal to children. Issues related to unsafe water sources in the district's village are compounded by poor sanitation facilities that contribute to the spread of disease. In particular, the practice of open defecation creates an environment in which fecal matter can easily contaminate key water and nutritional resources. By providing a proper source of clean water and tools needed to improve sanitation in Masindi, this project will considerably lessen the transmission of diseases within the community.

How?

This project is designed to involve the Masindi community as much as possible. The shallow well will be hand dug and the villagers will provide the majority of the needed labor. A technician will be on-site to supervise and carry out all the technical aspects of the construction such as bricking up the well walls and building a drainage system. The well’s hand pump will be installed by a trained mechanic. To ensure the well is properly maintained a group of 8 - 10 community members will be elected to a Water User Committee and will be trained in their roles and responsibilities.
The villagers will be completely responsible for the construction of pit latrines in their homes. They will use the provided equipment to dig pits after which point, they will build latrine superstructures using locally available materials. Baseline surveys conducted before and after the project will help to assess the impact of the interventions of hygiene and sanitation in Masindi.

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Masindi District is located in the Western region of Uganda and is home to 469,865 people. With 156 villages and 96,706 households, Masindi district is a diverse area; residents include members of 55 Ugandan tribes as well as immigrants and refugees from several neighboring nations.

Compared to other parts of Uganda, Masindi is relatively poor. Most families rely on agriculture to support their families and the district is a leading producer of maize for Uganda. Residents also earn an income by raising animals such as cattle and sheep and fishing. However, most families, especially those living in Masinidi’s rural areas, are unable to meet their most basic needs. Health problems due to unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation, and malnutrition have resulted in the district’s high morbidity and mortality rates. With only two hospitals available in all of Masindi, few are able to receive proper care and many suffer from illnesses such as malaria, diarrhea, pneumonia, and leprosy without treatment. This in turn contributes to the limited schooling local children are able to receive and the poor literacy rate in the district.

Many of these issues are driven by Masindi’s lack of safe drinking water resources. Although the district receives ample rainfall, severe shortages are common from December to February as well as in June and July. As a result of Masinid’s limited infrastructure, only 31% of the district’s families have access to a protected water source and only 10% use a proper latrine. Even these few water sources are largely unreliable during the dry months and many are contaminated with dangerous bacteria

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History of Masindi District

Masindi District is home to a diverse population. During the past decade, this has included refugees who were fleeing the unrest in northern Uganda. Unfortunately, the growing numbers of refugees led to most of the district's aid being directed at addressing the needs of this increasing population rather than long-term challenges such as sustainable water sources or developing basic infrastructure. However, a recent truce is enabling some of the refugees to return to their homes and allowing more attention to be directed at these pressing challenges.

Average household income

Climate

Temperatures average above 25 degrees centigrade and annual rainfall ranges averages about 52 inches. While overall rainfall is ample in Masindi, severe shortages occur during the during the dry seasons (from December to February and in June and July) as ground water becomes dirtier and scarcer.

Challenges facing Masindi District

Masindi's limited infrastructure means many of its families struggle to met their basic needs. Access to safe drinking Water and proper sanitation are the most pressing of these concerns. In addition, there is a serious need for additional healthcare providers as only two hospitals are open in the district. Education also poses concerns for the region, although the district does have 210 primary schools; this last issue has recently become a priority for municipal authorities who are working to address it.

Main Occupations

The great majority of residents within the Masindi district are subsistence farmers. They mainly grow maize, which is then ground into flour. Consistent employment is only available in Masindi’s major towns.

Families living below poverty line

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Direct Impact of Your Project

• Provides 1,200 people with reliable access to clean water
• Reduces the incidence of water-borne diseases in Masindi District
• Improves sanitation standards in the village
• Increased child survival rate due to the elimination and reduction of two major sources of disease transmission (contaminated water sources and poor sanitation)

Extended Impact on Your Partner Community

• Working age women gain time to pursue other activities because of reduced travel time to the well
• School attendance rate for girls increases due to the reduction in travel time to collect water