The settlement was initially established in 1984 to settle Rwandan Tutsi refugees after a decision was taken by the government of Uganda to host all Refugees in designated areas. The majority of Refugees in the settlement (88%) now are Congolese. The settlement is divided into 26 villages with an average of 2100 people per village. There is also an estimated population of 21,978 nationals surrounding the Refugee Settlement who directly benefit from services like Water, Education, Health and Nutrition Program.

Ngogomire is one of the villages in Kyaka settlement camp and has a population of 1500 people, the majority being new arrival refugees from Congo.

Since January 2022, there has been a rise in refugee influx at Kyaka due to the security situation in the neighboring country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The reception capacity of the host communities has become strained, especially due to lack of basic social services like clean water. As a result, not only the new arrivals, but also the people who have been living there -whether it be the refugee communities or the host communities- are in dire need of help. Water, which is a communal resource, is so crucial to ones’ lives, that when it is inadequate, it leads to deterioration of health and hygiene environment, and it even leads to disputes among people fighting over the scarce resource. The number of hand pumps and water points in Kyaka Settlement Camp are very limited. This situation leaves many with no choice but to fetch water from other sources like ponds. Women and children who are often responsible for fetching water face risks of encountering gender-based violence (GBV) because they must walk a long distance to get to the water points. Therefore, safe access to water is indispensable to maintaining life, peaceful co-existence, protection, and safety. Furthermore, water is needed for cleaning and bathing, for one to live a healthy and sanitary life. Many new arrivals, especially persons with specific needs (PSNs) like elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households, do not possess latrines on their premises, therefore, they practice open defecation. This worsens the quality of water that people are collecting from surface ponds and other unprotected wells.

Martin and Sharon are siblings. They are responsible for collecting all the water needed at home. The water they collect often makes them sick.