Power project turns around lives in rural Uganda
Dec 28, 2010
A decade ago, Yafeesi Massa, a resident of Namilyango village in Buikwe district, lived in a mud-and-wattle grass thatched house. Life was hard. Massa could not afford to take his five children to school. The problem was compounded by the fact that the few primary and secondary schools in the distri
By Ibrahim Kasita
A decade ago, Yafeesi Massa, a resident of Namilyango village in Buikwe district, lived in a mud-and-wattle grass thatched house. Life was hard. Massa could not afford to take his five children to school. The problem was compounded by the fact that the few primary and secondary schools in the district were over 25km from his home.
Accessing clean was a luxury. This remote village became prone to water and hygiene-related diseases like cholera, bilharzia, diarrhoea and typhoid.
“If you wanted to define poverty, this village (Buloba) was a case study,†Massa summed up the sorry state of the area. “There was no source of income as most of us were unemployed and job opportunities were scarce.â€
That was seven years back. With the commencement of the multi-donor funded Bujagali hydro-power project on the River Nile near Jinja town, Massa’s life and that of other 2,500 residents changed.
Meant to increase electricity supply to drive Uganda’s economy, the project has transformed the socio-economic welfare of its neighbours. “I got a job at the dam as a casual labourer. From the money that I was paid (about sh200,000 a month), I built a residential house and two commercial units in our town,†Massa explains.
“The rent I get from these units is used to pay my children’s school fees.†When moving around Buloba, you can hardly cover a kilometre before seeing groups of builders at work or a recently roofed house.
The new structures are built for commerce, with a front shop and attached backroom. They are permanent, iron-roofed structures, not mud-and-wattle grass-thatched huts that characterised the village almost a decade ago.
Elementary schools, health and modern maternity centres have been upgraded or built. The project has constructed 10 classroom blocks.
Naminya Roman Catholic Church P/S was fully furnished, giving its 200 pupils a better chance to be educated in a decent environment. The school’s nursery section was also made ‘child friendly.’
“There has been an upgrade of Wakisi Health Centre III and Budondo Health Centre IV. This has helped in fighting malaria and HIV, and in reducing child and maternity mortality rates in the district. Health awareness campaigns have helped rid the area of avoidable diseases like diarrhoea, malaria, bilharzia and cholera, which were common due to ignorance. “Observing proper hygiene is the biggest change,†Hadija Kezaala, a single mother of seven, said.
“There is new interest in hardwork and cleanliness from most village residents because they want to be viewed as model homesteads in the community.â€
Almost every household has a pit latrine, hand washing with soap is now common and most homesteads have drying racks and waste disposal pits.
The Bujagali hydro-power project sponsors; Industrial Promotion Services and Sithe Global, have injected $12m (about sh27.7b) in education, health and sanitation, agriculture, afforestation, environmental conservation and livelihood restoration.
“A water pipeline project that will extend safe water to nine villages is due,†Kenneth Kaheru, the deputy project manager, said. Over 2,000 youth and women have, or are undergoing vocational skills training to ensure self-employment.
“I am delighted that I have finally started (training) that will enable me take care of myself and my family,†21-year-old Fauza Nakandha, who lives with her guardian in the remote Namizzi village in Jinja, said.
She dropped out of school in Senior Six due to lack of tution fees. Nakandha had lost hope, but it was restored, thanks to the Bujagli project.
Nakandha witnessed the lives of villagemates being transformed economically when they received pigs, goats and cattle from the project to kick-start an agri-livestock production programme for the community.
The investments, if well managed, can help attain the Millennium Development Goals. “The onus is now on us for future maintenance and proper use of the facilities. We have been given another shot at life, an opportunity to be self-sufficient,’ Massa concluded.
A decade ago, Yafeesi Massa, a resident of Namilyango village in Buikwe district, lived in a mud-and-wattle grass thatched house. Life was hard. Massa could not afford to take his five children to school. The problem was compounded by the fact that the few primary and secondary schools in the district were over 25km from his home.
Accessing clean was a luxury. This remote village became prone to water and hygiene-related diseases like cholera, bilharzia, diarrhoea and typhoid.
“If you wanted to define poverty, this village (Buloba) was a case study,†Massa summed up the sorry state of the area. “There was no source of income as most of us were unemployed and job opportunities were scarce.â€
That was seven years back. With the commencement of the multi-donor funded Bujagali hydro-power project on the River Nile near Jinja town, Massa’s life and that of other 2,500 residents changed.
Meant to increase electricity supply to drive Uganda’s economy, the project has transformed the socio-economic welfare of its neighbours. “I got a job at the dam as a casual labourer. From the money that I was paid (about sh200,000 a month), I built a residential house and two commercial units in our town,†Massa explains.
“The rent I get from these units is used to pay my children’s school fees.†When moving around Buloba, you can hardly cover a kilometre before seeing groups of builders at work or a recently roofed house.
The new structures are built for commerce, with a front shop and attached backroom. They are permanent, iron-roofed structures, not mud-and-wattle grass-thatched huts that characterised the village almost a decade ago.
Elementary schools, health and modern maternity centres have been upgraded or built. The project has constructed 10 classroom blocks.
Naminya Roman Catholic Church P/S was fully furnished, giving its 200 pupils a better chance to be educated in a decent environment. The school’s nursery section was also made ‘child friendly.’
“There has been an upgrade of Wakisi Health Centre III and Budondo Health Centre IV. This has helped in fighting malaria and HIV, and in reducing child and maternity mortality rates in the district. Health awareness campaigns have helped rid the area of avoidable diseases like diarrhoea, malaria, bilharzia and cholera, which were common due to ignorance. “Observing proper hygiene is the biggest change,†Hadija Kezaala, a single mother of seven, said.
“There is new interest in hardwork and cleanliness from most village residents because they want to be viewed as model homesteads in the community.â€
Almost every household has a pit latrine, hand washing with soap is now common and most homesteads have drying racks and waste disposal pits.
The Bujagali hydro-power project sponsors; Industrial Promotion Services and Sithe Global, have injected $12m (about sh27.7b) in education, health and sanitation, agriculture, afforestation, environmental conservation and livelihood restoration.
“A water pipeline project that will extend safe water to nine villages is due,†Kenneth Kaheru, the deputy project manager, said. Over 2,000 youth and women have, or are undergoing vocational skills training to ensure self-employment.
“I am delighted that I have finally started (training) that will enable me take care of myself and my family,†21-year-old Fauza Nakandha, who lives with her guardian in the remote Namizzi village in Jinja, said.
She dropped out of school in Senior Six due to lack of tution fees. Nakandha had lost hope, but it was restored, thanks to the Bujagli project.
Nakandha witnessed the lives of villagemates being transformed economically when they received pigs, goats and cattle from the project to kick-start an agri-livestock production programme for the community.
The investments, if well managed, can help attain the Millennium Development Goals. “The onus is now on us for future maintenance and proper use of the facilities. We have been given another shot at life, an opportunity to be self-sufficient,’ Massa concluded.