What is WASH? | Empowering Thriving Communities in East Africa
Every day looked the same for Lilian. Upon waking, she had to leave her kids at home and trek through Africa’s rugged terrain to get to the nearest water source. If she made it safely, Lilian would often wait in line for hours beneath the hot sun and then walk almost two miles home with a forty-pound jerrycan on her shoulders.
The routine was exhausting and time-consuming —a never-ending burden that took her away from her family. Plus, the taxing trip reaped little reward. A filled forty-pound jerrycan only holds five gallons of water. For reference, between bathing, cleaning, cooking, and drinking, the average American household uses about 138 gallons1 of water per day.
So, Lilian had to carefully conserve and prioritize her family’s water usage. She stressed about the cleanliness of her home, but when her children so desperately needed food and water to survive, sanitizing dishes and taking baths just wasn’t feasible. Lilian explained, “Personal hygiene in my house was so poor because we simply didn’t have enough water.”
WASH Empowers Thriving Communities
When 4africa’s team first arrived at Lilian’s community, we saw their great need for a safe and accessible water source. Community members like Lilian were eager to kick off the well-drilling process to alleviate the burden of finding clean water—and to ultimately build a better future for their children.
If you’re familiar with our organization, you know that 4africa is in it for the long haul. Finding sustainable solutions and empowering local leaders is at the core of our work. 4africa strives to make clean and safe water accessible to all.
But that’s not all. Our Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program goes beyond drilling wells. Clean water is vital! Maintaining the water source, preventing contamination and hygiene-related illness, and caring for spiritual needs are all important parts in achieving overall health.
Alongside WASH, our all-encompassing programs provide clean water, promote positive health and hygiene practices, and support spiritual growth through the Disciple-Making Movement (DMM). With DMM, we build up the local church in Africa by pouring into local pastors, church members, and small group leaders who bring the hope of the Gospel to vulnerable communities in East Africa. We do all of this so that our friends in Africa can experience what Jesus describes in John 10:10 –“life… to the full.” When people feel equipped to lead healthy lives, they can truly thrive, not just survive.
What is WASH?
WASH stands for Water Access, Sanitation, and Hygiene. Success is not achieved through clean water alone. Using water responsibly and knowing how to implement consistent sanitation and hygiene practices leads to long-term changes and better health for years to come. So, let’s break it down:
Water Access
First, our team identifies and prioritizes areas of greatest need. Many communities we partner with are in remote locations within Yumbe District. So, our goal is to strategically drill or rehabilitate wells in centralized locations. For example, churches, schools, and health centers are all prime candidates for boreholes because those organizations need readily available water, and they’re easily accessible for community members.
Once we’ve identified a possible location, we train volunteer community leaders on 4africa’s approach, model, community requirements, and ministry programs. If community members are on board with the program, we formally partner with the community by signing a Memorandum of Understanding that clearly outlines responsibilities, expectations, and requirements for a successful project. Our drilling team also audits the infrastructure and selects appropriate technologies for the job.
Shortly after, we set the plans in motion! While drilling operations commence, we equip local community leaders and volunteers with the necessary tools and resources to keep their borehole functioning for years to come. Training covers operations and maintenance (O&M) and how to set maintenance fees for future repairs. 4africa’s drilling team and community leaders work side-by-side throughout the drilling process to familiarize themselves with the ins and outs of operation.
Sanitation & Hygiene
Each new or rehabilitated well comes with a two-year commitment. That means extra time to get to know the community, their needs, and their lifestyle. As with Lilian’s community, many have gone without access to clean, safe water for years. It’s impossible to focus on sanitation and hygiene when you don’t have the resources to do so—you need clean water to wash hands, dishes, and clothes.
Abiriga is a local health advocate in the Nyai community. But, their outdated well stopped functioning years ago:
“Bathing and washing clothes were no longer a priority among many people, which was very embarrassing for me as a leader because it made me feel like I had failed my people.”
So, once a well has been drilled or rehabilitated, we join forces with community members like Abiriga to lead interactive multi-generational sessions. Through Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) sessions, community members learn how to construct drying racks, latrines, handwashing stations, and more from common resources. They also learn about cross-contamination and how diseases spread. We love watching young children take pride in helping their parents and grandparents build tippy tap handwashing stations for their homes.
In addition, we offer in-depth training for community leaders who volunteer as WASH and Health Promoters.
Francis, a member of the Ngun Gwon Koyi Community, explains the plan for his community, “We are going to closely monitor our borehole, its pumping and the cleanliness around it, so that the water we fetch stays clean from the source to consumption. Through our water user committee, we will hold regular meetings to ensure that the water user fee is collected.”
WASH Includes Maternal Health, Too!
With Uganda’s birth rate at 4.824 births per woman in 20192, we focus on maternal health as well. Our team meets with mothers like Harriet to help them stay healthy and strong throughout their pregnancy and after delivery:
“I used to ignore foods like millet, vegetables, and milk. But through maternal health sessions, I discovered that these foods were very important for me. The foods I used to ignore turned out to have the greatest value!” she exclaimed.
Today, Harriet is a proud healthy mother of a healthy girl named ‘Opileni’ which means ‘God’s love.’
She shared, “Looking at my beautiful baby girl today, I rejoice that 4africa encouraged me to not only take care of myself during my pregnancy but to make the wise decision to deliver at a Health Centre. There are so many advantages of giving birth at a Health Centre but one of the most important ones is that the nurses are able to help when one develops complications. In my case, I did develop some complications during my pregnancy, but they were managed during my prenatal visits and during delivery as well.”
Harriet’s focus now shifts to post-natal management, which includes protecting her baby and herself from illness through personal hygiene, home cleanliness, and immunizations.
“After delivery, I was advised that both my baby and I sleep under an insecticide-treated mosquito net to protect us from malaria. I was also told to always keep my surroundings clean and keep my baby warm. Finally, they encourage me to keep up with my baby’s immunization appointments. All of this has helped me to be a good mother.”
Alia’s Community Transformation Story
Put simply, we are for people, not projects. The WASH program is one of the ways we’re able to equip communities with sustainable health solutions. Alia shares how her community was completely transformed from the inside out through access to clean, safe water and the WASH program:
“Now that we have a functioning borehole that produces clean water, we use the water to protect ourselves from waterborne diseases such as intestinal worms, diarrhea and typhoid.
“We are able to have functional tippy taps in our homes and at the latrines, so that we can wash our hands at critical moments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to wash our hands frequently, so we were able to stay safe from the virus. We are also using the water for the smooth running of our nursery school at the church. All of this has been made possible with the support of 4africa, who repaired our borehole.
“Personally, I use the water to irrigate my vegetable garden to grow greens to supplement our family diet with vitamins. I am able to quickly fetch water, and I use the rest of the time for other home activities such as farming and going to the market.
“In addition, my husband was trained as a hand pump mechanic by 4africa, further strengthening the operation and maintenance of our borehole.
“On behalf of the Belia B Community, I thank 4africa for repairing our water source. We are now healthy and thriving. May God reward you for your commitment in serving the people of Yumbe.”
You can learn more about our programs at 4africa.com.
