Buhunga is a rural community in the district of Buhweju, Western Uganda. The village has approximately 160 households with a population of approx. 1500 people. There is 1 community school in this village. The people in this village are subsistence farmers, mainly growing Millet and banana for food. A few are extension farmers for a big tea farm since tea grows well in this hilly area.
Access to safe and clean water is a huge challenge for this community. There’s hardly any protected water source. The population depends on surface ponds and streams which are located down the hills, approximately 3km away from most homes. It is hard work for work women and children to walk down the hills to collect water and back up to their the homes. Unfortunately even after all that hard work, they can only take back home dirty water, that is not safe for their consumption. It’s the main cause of illness amongst children and it’s the very common that children are absent from school because they are sick with typhoid.
Pictured: Ronald says; 2 weeks ago he was very sick with vomiting and diarrhea. He is aware that these are the symptoms of typhoid which is caused by drinking dirty water. He says he has no alternative. At home, they can’t boil the water all the time.
Joshua and Ronald are neighbors and friends. They are always moving together to collect water for their families. Both are unhappy because they can’t access clean water, just like they learn at school. They feel bad about the situation in their community.
One of the current water sources for Buhunga Village. These water ponds collect rainwater and its very contaminated. In dry spells, the water dries off.