Boreholes are well-kept by Water User Committees to serve hundreds for decades

Adjumani district- Borehole #2472 which is located off the Elema-Baratuku main road is a solemn reminder that refugees are no new phenomena in Uganda. Built in 1992, the borehole was built to serve some of the first waves of South Sudanese fleeing the Second Civil War from 1983 to 2005. 

Standing for over two decades, it is a testament to the generation of South Sudanese children who sought refuge in Uganda due to war in their home country between 1983 and 2005. It is also a testament to South Sudanese resiliency and the legacy of Ugandan progressive reception of displaced persons even at a time when its own northern border was wracked by civil war.

Imbued with symbolism, the borehole was also falling in disrepair after its years of faithful service to the surrounding national and refugee community. From July 2016 to June 2017, the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) partnered with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) to enhance the protection of and sustainable solutions for refugees and host community members in Adjumani and Rwamwanja.

To maintain existing boreholes and thus ensure the community’s access to safe and sufficient water, LWF with support from PRM trained six Water User Committees (WUC) in Adjumani. Each group is made of 7 community-appointed borehole custodians who budget repairs, educate users on safe water, hygiene and sanitation practices and thus ensure the borehole’s maintenance and operation long after the humanitarian community exits the region. 

The Water User Committe, comprised of 2 men and 5 women, all refugees, overseeing borehole #2472 is exceptionally active. Every Friday the chairman, Moi Ben, convenes a meeting to discuss the maintenance of the community borehole and best practices on water fee collection.  

Governed by strictly observed by-laws and overseen by an executive staff of a Chairperson, Treasurer and Secretary, this Water User Committee collects a maintenance fee of UGX 1,000 (USD 0.3) per user every week. Since their formation in 2016, the group has amassed UGX 860,000 (USD 239) and is currently mobilizing to spend some of it to repair rusting pipes and to replace the semi-permanent wood fencing with a permanent one made of bricks. 

The Water User Committee establishes a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA)

Their work benefits the 40 surrounding households, including 30 refugee and 10 host community households. Members’ leadership has impressed the surrounding community. As a result, when the group formed a VSLA in November 2016, a number of additional community members wanted to join their group. The VSLA acts as a mutual banking structure whereby members pay fees to participate. After a portion of the fees are allocated to savings, the rest is pooled into a fund that can be loaned out to members.

After a series of character interviews and approval by the rest of the Water User Committee, 10 additional members joined the VSLA. In the 40 weeks since the VSLA commenced, the group has received two trainings from LWF on successful saving and loaning practices as well as on business management. To-date, the group has saved over UGX 900,000 (USD 265). Not only is the group demonstrating exceptional saving patterns, but according to Moi Ben, “almost all the members have taken out loans.” 

These VSLA loans are helping members to rebuild their lives and access financial services from which they would otherwise be excluded in traditional banking structures. Moi Ben took out a loan to start a small business of buying and selling airtime. Kiden Cecilia acquired a loan to buy cassava that she ferments and uses for her micro-brewery. Other borrowers described investing in agriculture or product diversification for existing businesses. 

These Water User Committee members are investing in their community and in themselves in order to rebuild their lives in Uganda.