Bridging sanitation access gap in Kabarole

Published on: 22/11/2023

14 million Ugandans still practicing open defecation! IRC delivering game changers...

World over, the sanitation question poses a huge threat to the wellbeing of the citizenry. The situation is more dire in developing countries where questions around access and affordability are yet to be completely answered.

In Uganda’s rural areas, 22.9% of the population practices open defecation, yet sanitation is still underfunded and often neglected—posing devasting consequences on public health and the national economy. With just seven years to agenda 2030, it is critical for stakeholders to act five times faster if the country is to realise the desired ambition.

Kabarole district joined the rest of the world to commemorate the World Toilet Day on Wednesday 15^th, November 2023 at Bwanika HCIII in Kicwamba subcounty. Stakeholders including the district leadership team (RDC, Chief Administrative Officer, District Health Office, LCV, Secretary for Health & Education, District Health Inspector, District Water Officer), subcounty chief, Parish chiefs, LCs, Village Health Team coordinators, District WASH Task Team and WASH development partners within the district leveraged on this opportunity to highlight the existing sanitation crises and the significance of proper sanitation in promoting health, dignity, and well-being, and calling for scale up of best practices across the district and region.

The commemoration served as a springboard upon which awareness was created regarding the impact of living without safely managed sanitation services and laid foundation for adoption of improved and standard toilets as stipulated in the newly formulated Kabarole district Sanitation Ordinance.

Relatedly, the commemoration event witnessed the launching of sanitation and hygiene home improvement campaigns in Kicwamba subcounty under the District Sanitation and Hygiene Condition Grant (DSHCG). The campaigns are aimed at empowering community members to embrace and utilize creative ways of installing and using clean, safe and affordable hygiene and sanitation facilities at their households - to stop Open Defecation and improve hand hygiene with a goal of contributing to the reduction of morbidity and mortality rates due to sanitation related diseases within the area.

The DSHCG covers only up to five villages yet the sanitation and hygiene status in most villages is poor. IRC, through the collaborative commitment with Kabarole District Local Government to improve WASH services in communities, supplemented the DSHCG under the James Percy grant, to jointly implement the activities to increase access in all the 31 villages of Kicwamba. Every household is reached with information and skills to acquire and maintain good standards of sanitation and hygiene.