Former communication and knowledge management advisor | IRC Uganda
How do Sustainable Land Management programmes relate to interventions promoting groundwater utilisation, and how can the benefits of groundwater... Read more...
Investigating the effectiveness of improved well head protection and the uptake and safe installation of improved lifting devices to minimise water... Read more...
This report summarizes the findings of action research on how different actors in the Transform WASH project create demand for sanitation products... Read more...
An analysis by IRC Uganda and a CSO group reveals higher targets amidst reduced funding. Read more...
"Environmental degradation is the biggest threat of our time. It knows no colour, nor political affiliation." These were the sentiments expressed by Noeline Basemera, Woman MP Kibaale District. She was speaking during a meeting between Members of Parliament on the Natural Resources Committee and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working on issues of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Environment and Natural Resources (ENR).
The meeting was organised by Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) and IRC Uganda, to inform the parliamentarians about the Watershed empowering citizens programme, discuss key issues in WASH and IWRM, and make recommendations on how the issues can be addressed effectively.
The MPs decried the rampant degradation of environment and natural resources, leading to a massive reduction in the quality and quantity of water available for domestic consumption and economic activities. Currently, 30% of the population in Uganda lacks access to safe water, while degradation of water bodies and deforestation continue unabated. In June 2018, the Water and Environment Sector Performance Report indicated that deforestation has led to the decline of forest cover from 24% in 1990 to 11% in 2015 and 9% in 2018. Regarding wetlands management, as of June 2018, 4.1% of wetlands in Uganda were reported as degraded and 2.6% completely lost.
MPs were of the conviction that much of the environmental degradation is attributable to poor governance, characterized by corruption, lack of transparency and integrity, wrongful allocation of protected water resources for development and failure to enforce rules and regulations. Apart from bad governance, MPs expressed concern about limited funding, noting that key interventions in WASH and IWRM are funded by external donors, with limited input from the government. Moreover, much of the funding is allocated to areas that do not have pressing issues or are already getting too much funding.
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An approach is developed to assess WASH risks in marginal populations that are poorly understood and served through conventional approaches. Read more...
IRC Uganda and the Ministry of Education and Sports recently hosted a stakeholders' breakfast meeting to discuss action for improving Menstrual Health Management Read more...
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Learning and adaptation is about preparedness to innovate and to use the insights and lessons generated to drive change across the WASH system at all levels and in all operating contexts. Read more...
Planning is the WASH systems building block that involves budgeting and the determination of costs and financing details. Planning for WASH systems requires strategic (long-term) and annual (activities and routine costs) planning as well as project planning for infrastructure development. Read more...
Monitoring is one of the key building blocks for an effective WASH system, which generates the information and feedback that facilitate adaptive change and well as planning and regulation. Read more...
IRC supports institutions that promise to improve and professionalise the delivery and management of WASH services. District Hand Pump Mechanics Associations (HPMAs) are an example of such institutions. Read more...
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What can Uganda and other sub-Saharan African countries learn from Kenya's successful approach to improve menstrual health management? Read more...