The Buyamba community programme
The Buyamba community development programme is located in the
Rakai district, southwestern Uganda. World Vision works with 54
villages with a population of more than 27,000. World Vision's
partnership with Buyamba started in 2003 and is envisaged to
continue until 2018, when the community will be fully equipped with
the resources and skills to take ownership of its own development.
In the past year, significant improvements were made in the current
focus areas of education and advocacy, and health and HIV and
AIDS.
Issues covered: Education, advocacy,
health and HIV and AIDS
Updates on World Vision's work
Education and advocacy
- The primary school enrolment rate increased by an average of 10
per cent â€" from 7140 students in 2010 to 7900 in 2011, thanks to
the training of school management committees, the provision of text
books and uniforms, and education of parents on the importance of
education to help lift themselves out of poverty.
- World Vision aims to improve the well-being of up to 9000
children and their families through capacity building and advocacy
programmes. In the past year, 56 children's representatives
participated in advocacy activities including radio talk shows, to
champion the rights of children to protection, education, health
and nutrition.
Health and HIV and AIDS
- Of about 3000 children who were monitored in the past year,
only 11 were found to have symptoms of malnutrition, and these
children immediately received the necessary support at nutrition
centres.
- HIV and AIDS support and education services have improved, and
in the past year, 1541people sought voluntary HIV testing. Over 200
orphans and vulnerable children were supported with school
materials and psychosocial assistance.
The Buyamba community is in the tenth year of its development
journey with World Vision.
Life on
the ground in Buyamba
Water gives new hope
Resty's children are now able to collect
safe and clean water close to home, thanks to the construction of
underground water tanks.
A major challenge in the Buyamba community is inadequate access
to safe and clean water, and the risk of water-borne diseases such
as diarrhoea. Resty, a widow with six children, explains how World
Vision has helped transform life for her and her children. "Most of
our wells have dirty water and dry up easily during the dry season.
Households in low-lying areas depend on water ponds, which keep
water during the dry season, but our cattle also drink from them.
So, even when we have the water, it's dirty and unsafe for use.
Children also have to get up early in the morning to walk up to 5km
to collect water. This can take more than two hours, and often the
children are late for school", explains Resty. World Vision and the
community joined forces to address the issue. "After receiving
training with other community members in the construction of
underground water tanks, maintenance, and hygiene and sanitation,
World Vision supported us with cement and corrugated iron. We
[community members] contributed bricks, sand and our labour for
free, and we constructed 30 underground water tanks holding 6000
litres of water each. When we got the water tanks, our life became
easy. I am very grateful to World vision for this support. We
handle this tank with a lot of care, as it's now the source of our
livelihood," says Resty. Many other communities now have similar
water tanks. Although access to safe water is still a challenge,
the support to households to construct their own water tanks for
rainwater harvesting has had a positive impact on household hygiene
and sanitation, children's health, and the community's productivity
as they no longer have to walk long distances to collect water.
Uganda at a glance
Winston Churchill referred to Uganda as the pearl of Africa.
Situated in the Great Lakes region of Africa, the country has
beautiful mountains, fertile soils, regular rainfall and sizeable
mineral deposits. It also has significant levels of poverty - 38
per cent of the people live below the poverty line.
When we got the water tanks, our life became easy. I am
very grateful to World Vision for this support.
- Resty, Buyamba community member