Lake Victoria is polluted
For the inhabitants of the fishing villages in the district of Mukono it is only a few steps to the lake. Most families fill their water canisters at the lake every day. Right next door, others wash their clothes, dry their fish on the bottom, and children relieve themselves. The hygienic conditions in the fishing villages around Lake Victoria are catastrophic.
Experts from far beyond the region have been warning of environmental pollution at Lake Victoria for years. Unpurified wastewater, industrial waste, overfertilisation and pollution with alien plant and fish species are the major problems that affect the water quality and thus the living conditions of local people.
In the villages wells and more are being built
Because the lake water makes people ill, arche noVa and its local partner organisation Katosi Women Development Trust are building wells. They provide a safe basic supply. Nangoma is one of the project locations where construction has already started. The approximately 700 residents use the well every day and pay a fee for it, so that maintenance and reparations can be paid.
Our local partner organisation is in regular contact with the inhabitants of the project villages to speak about the positive effects of good hygiene practices. The innovations spread through the domino effect, as well as the construction of drip racks to keep washed pots, plates and containers clean.
Need for help immense
Our project is aimed at people who regularly fall through the cracks. They have come from all over the country to Lake Victoria because they have no prospects in their home towns. They do not own any land, can't find a job, have little school education or don't get a loan to start a business. Moving to the lakeshore is their way to a better future. Most of them settle on the lake without official papers. Their villages are not desired, only tolerated. The local authorities do not take care of the infrastructure. "Families come, families go. Most of them only want to stay for a transitional period," reports Giovanna Fortuni from the arche noVa office in East Africa. "But finally many stay here. They need support because their basic needs are not guaranteed. Anyone who has visited one of the villages is aware that even with relatively little effort, such as the construction of a latrine, already a lot is helped."
Our project at Lake Victoria should continue. We have already planned new activities with our local partner organisation KWDT. In addition to well construction, mobilisation measures are a major part of this. KWDT's women's self-help groups are particularly concerned about hygiene promotion. We are urgently dependent on donations so that we can continue.
