Residents of Kasavu slum area in Namuwongo, Kampala have something to laugh about after receiving a community water harvesting tank and home water filters from Ecobank Uganda in partnership with Hope for the Children.
Ecobank Managing Director, Clement Dodoo said that the donation was done as one of the activities to mark the 5th Ecobank Day.
“We are delighted to mark the 5th Eco Bank Day at Namuwongo city suburb where we are improving the quality of health through provision of clean and safe water. With this donation, the general hygiene for children will be greatly improved,” Dodoo said.
As part of the Ecobank Day activities, employees from the bank also volunteered their time to clean the area.
The Programmes Director Hope for Children, Joyce Nakanwagi appreacited Ecobank for the partnership that has enabled them fulfill one of their goals which is to improve the health of the children in the area through provision of safe water and sanitation.
“Access to safe water is one of the toughest things in the community, people don’t have safe water. They only have stream waters which can’t satisfy over 30,000 people living in the community,” Nakanwagi said.
She revealed that in her 10 years experience working with children, she has noticed a rise in the trend of Typhoid and Cholera among children, attributed to lack of safe water.
The area L.C 1 Chairperson, Richard Byebisho said that being a slum, the village has continuously been mismanaged by rich folks residing in the neighbouring villages who dump rubbish and release sewage through the unconstructed water channels whenever it rains.
“The water sources that we have in the area are not good enough, neither are they good for providing water especially for drinking. In our area, we don’t have taps and when the rich folks are short of water, they all run here yet the two wells can’t accomodate us all,” Byebisho said.
“We call upon Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to come to our aid and construct channels to enable the easy passage of water because rains contaminate the only two sources of water that we have in the area.”
Byebisho noted that the new water tank at the community centre will suppliment the two wells, and that its water will only be used for drinking.
