Rotarians restore life to Nakayonza communities

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Despite it being only 15km from Lake Kyoga, communities in the area around Nakayonza in Nakasongola district have struggled with getting water for decades. During the dry season, all the boreholes dry up, and the residents travel as far as 20km looking for water.

Life literally stopped as the search for water became people’s most important task; children did not go to school, or if they did, were too tired to pay much attention. The poor grades of Nakayonza students reflected this. With no water, crops failed, and malnutrition became a major community concern. In addition, their prized cattle would start dying due to the lack of water. And teenage pregnancies were high, as men took advantage of young girls sent to look for water.

Seven years ago, the Rotary Club of Lugogo-Mango Tree started on a project to provide water for the communities, and last Saturday, all the efforts, money and time spent came to a head as the Nakayonza Water and Life Improvement Project was commissioned.

Engineer Lamu Olweny from the Ministry of Water and Environment (left), and Chris Nambale, President of the Rotary Club of Lugogo-Mango Tree shake hands after officially commissioning the Nakasongola Water & Life Improvement Project on Saturday. (PHOTO BY KALUNGI KABUYE)

“Water is life,” said Engineer Lamu Olweny, Assistant Commissioner, Research and Development, who represented the Permanent Secretary of the  Ministry of Water and Environment. “Without water, you literally have no life. Nakasongola is one of the districts in the country which is water-stressed; it is difficult to find water, and if you do, the quality is wanting. So, we thank the Rotary Club of Lugogo-Mango Tree for coming to help save this community with a constant supply of water of extremely high quality.”

The project, which started in 2017, cost an estimated $160,000 (sh587m), and was a partnership between RC Lugogo-Mango Tree and the Ministry of Water and Environment. It covers the five villages of Kirenge, Namaato, Nakayonza, Lwabyata and Kaganja, which together have about 10,000 people.

A resident of Nakayonza in Nakasongola district draws water from community taps on Saturday. The water was provided under the Water & Life Improvement Project by the Rotary Club of Lugogo-Mango Tree in partnership with the Ministry of Water and Environment. (PHOTO BY KALUNGI KABUYE)

“It has been a labour of love, and although there were some setbacks, we are glad that we can now hand over the project to the community,” said Christopher Nambale, President of RC Lugogo-Mango Tree.  “We worked closely with the community through the Rotary Community Corps, and we are sure they will look after and maintain the project.”

In addition to providing a constant water supply to the communities, the Rotary Club also renovated the Nakayonza Health Centre III, provided equipment and a solar power supply.

“I have lived here since 1979, and water has always been a problem for us,” said Grace Nakubulwa, a resident of Lwabyata. “We would wake up early in the morning and walk long distances to go and find water. By the time we got back, we were all tired and couldn’t do much work. Our crops suffered, so we didn’t have enough food to eat, and our animals were thin and sickly. Many died. But then the Rotary Club of Lugogo-Mango Tree came, and we sat down and discussed our problems. And they have delivered. We thank them very much. We are very happy. No more problems.”