Why Work in Uganda?

20.1 million people (44%) in Uganda don’t have access to safe water²

35.1 million people (81%) in Uganda don’t have access to adequate sanitation²

Over 13,093 Ugandan's die every year from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene³

Uganda achieved political stability in 1986, and has experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades, with a large amount of the rural population migrating to areas around urban centres.  This large population movement has put pressure on the existing infrastructure, and the country's high population growth (3 times the global average) has further compounded the issue. The country remains poor, despite economic growth, and there is a real lack of adequate sanitation - many are forced to share overcrowded pit latrines or practice open defecation. 

Uganda has high rainfall and natural sources of freshwater, but surface water sources used by many people are highly contaminated due to poor drainage and little regulation of waste disposal. WASH solutions involve improving the water supply system infrastructure and vastly improving basic sanitation for millions.

² WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme 2021 report (based on estimates on the use of water sources and sanitation facilities)

^³ Global Health Observatory, 2016 

What We Do in Uganda

We support rural marginalised village communities with access to clean safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene training in the districts of Wakiso, Amuria and Karamoja.

We implement a variety of solutions. We support the construction of community hand-dug shallow wells with handpumps, rainwater harvesting household storage jars for the vulnerable, and large rainwater harvesting tanks for schools. We also refurbish existing gravity fed water systems, which direct water downhill from an unpolluted source to tap-stands in a community, meaning water is easily accessible to all households, schools and a medical centre.

We tackle the sanitation crisis by constructing school gender sensitive latrine blocks with urinals for boys, and washrooms for girls, and separate toilets for the teachers.  We also construct household latrines for the vulnerable, and provide community hygiene training, such as how to build a tippy tap, hand-washing, and general household cleanliness.

In Uganda we have started to incorporate Menstrual Hygiene Management into our work with schools, which includes education and the provision of affordable sanitary pads, enabling girls to manage their menstrual cycle with dignity.

Explore our Ugandan projects on our Project Map

Background Uganda

Capital: Kampala

Population: 42.7 Million¹

Area: 241,038km2 (similar size to the UK)

Other Main Cities: Jinja, Masaka, Mbale, Entebbe, Mbarara, Gulu.

HDI Index: 159/189¹ (Low Human Development)

Life expectancy at birth: 63 years¹

Under-five Mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 49¹

Population living below income poverty line, PPP $1.90 a day (%): 41.7%¹

^¹ UNDP Human Development Report 2019