I am Mboowa Yassin, and I am from a village called Namunkanaga 1. Today, I would like to share a story about how Uganda Village Project helped me and my family.
My growing family of six has faced a lot of hardship. We were not doing very well financially, so we couldn’t afford to build a latrine—we had to share with our neighbor, instead. Sharing was okay, but led to logistical frustrations and a few misunderstandings.
We also experienced problems with hand washing. Since we lacked a Tippy Tap, we had to use the same jerrycan for cooking and washing our hands after using the toilet. Because of this, we caught illnesses like typhoid, and had to spend some of our valuable savings on expensive treatments.
All these challenges forced me to look for some funds to establish proper sanitary facilities. I was also introduced to UVP during their quarterly WASH sensitization; we discussed the importance of clean facilities and how to keep proper hygiene.
UVP helped me plan and build a new latrine and Tippy Tap. Building the latrine took a lot of work, and involved digging a pit 40 feet deep, building a reinforced concrete slab base, and laying bricks for the structure itself.
The VHTs in my village supported us during the construction with health education and encouragement. Now my family doesn’t need to share, or use a temporary latrine pit.
As for the future, I hope to one day add a fence and a private bathing room on my family’s homestead!
