Digital tools can take us far, but clean water takes us further. 2 in 5 people in Uganda still lack clean water close to home. That is why we are part of #TeamWater. Watch @felixdwangota, ICT for Development Officer at WaterAid Uganda, share why tech and basic rights must go hand in hand. Join us at 🌍 teamwater.org #CleanWaterChangesEverything @WaterAid @teamwater

Through the Sustainable Climate Impact Fund (SCIF) project, we are helping communities strengthen access to safe, reliable water in the face of climate pressures. For 68-year-old Denzilata Nanyonga, access to safe water once meant long walks, extra costs, and, at times, sharing swamp water with cattle. Today, a safe water source close to home means she can collect water herself, spend less on hiring others to fetch it, and rely on cleaner water for drinking and cooking. “Having a safe water source close to my home means that I can easily access water on my own.” For Denzilata, that means more than convenience. It means greater independence, dignity, and peace of mind. Change starts with water.

This afternoon, we met with our partners at the Sustainable Climate Impact Fund to review five years of progress and discuss what comes next. Together, we have rehabilitated 70 boreholes, developed three piped water systems and improved access to safe water for more than 119,000 people across Kalungu, Lyantonde and Kabarole. The conversation reaffirmed a simple lesson: lasting water services depend on strong partnerships, local ownership and systems that keep the water flowing.

Lasting change begins with local leadership. Recently, we met with Christopher Tumwine, LC3 Councillor for Kamwokya II Parish, and his team to explore opportunities for collaboration on improving water, sanitation, and hygiene services across the parish. The discussion highlighted a shared vision for stronger, more inclusive WASH systems that respond to the needs of women, girls, young people, persons with disabilities, and underserved communities. It also reinforced the importance of working with local leaders who understand the challenges facing their communities and are committed to driving sustainable solutions. While the journey is just beginning, conversations like these lay the foundation for meaningful partnerships and lasting impact. We look forward to working together to identify opportunities that advance safe water, decent sanitation, and good hygiene for everyone.

💧 What makes a municipality investable? On Aug. 18 in Kigali, Sarah Namutebi Alibeera, principal health inspector and head of department at Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality, will share how better data, stronger governance and long-term planning helped the municipality raise safely managed sanitation from 4% to 55.7%, eliminate open defecation across all 56 villages and mobilize more than UGX 180 million in private-sector investment. Catch Session D6.3 from 2-3:30 p.m. CAT at the Africa Water & Sanitation Systems Leadership Symposium. When local systems work, investment follows.

Working Together for a Cleaner, Healthier Uganda As we joined the Government of Uganda for the National Cleaning Day, our Country Director, Dr. Joyce Mpalanyi Magala, emphasized that lasting health outcomes depend on more than access to safe water. They require good hygiene practices, improved sanitation, and effective solid waste management. National Cleaning Day is an important step towards strengthening the integration of hygiene and sanitation into our national development agenda. It also reminds us that creating cleaner, healthier communities is a shared responsibility. Government, civil society, the private sector, and every citizen have a role to play. When we change behaviors and manage waste responsibly, we reduce the burden of preventable diseases, improve quality of life, and build healthier, more productive communities. Together, let's make hygiene a habit, sanitation a priority, and clean communities the norm.

Keeping Uganda Clean is Everyone's Business. Today, we proudly joined the Government of Uganda and other stakeholders in the National Cleaning Day initiative, reaffirming our shared commitment to cleaner, healthier, and more resilient communities. A clean environment is fundamental to public health. By working together to keep our markets, streets, and public spaces clean, we reduce disease risks, protect our water sources, and create safer communities for everyone. As a proud supporter of the WASH is Everyone's Business Campaign, we believe lasting change happens when government, communities, civil society, and the private sector all play their part. Today's cleanup was a practical demonstration of that shared responsibility. Together, let's keep the momentum going.

Lasting impact begins with strong partnerships. This week, WaterAid Uganda brought together colleagues and strategic partners to explore opportunities for deeper collaboration and innovative approaches to advancing climate-resilient WASH in Uganda. By bringing together diverse expertise and a shared ambition, we're strengthening the partnerships needed to accelerate lasting change for communities across the country.

Time to Deliver for African Women. As momentum builds towards the 2026 UN Water Conference (UNWC 2026), WaterAid is joining partners across Africa for a webinar on Africa Women Day to explore how we can shape a water agenda that works for women and girls. Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is fundamental to health, education, dignity and economic opportunity. Yet millions of women and girls across Africa continue to bear the greatest burden of inadequate WASH services. This conversation will bring together leaders and advocates to discuss how we can accelerate progress and ensure the voices and priorities of African women help shape commitments ahead of UNWC 2026. 📅 Thursday, 30 July 2026 🕛 12:00 PM EAT 💻 Virtual We look forward to joining the conversation and invite you to register and be part of it.

Stronger partnerships. Better evidence. Greater impact. 🤝📚 Earlier today, WaterAid Uganda met with the Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH) to operationalize our recently renewed Memorandum of Understanding, reinforcing our shared commitment to advancing water, sanitation and hygiene in Uganda. By combining WaterAid's implementation experience with MakSPH's research and academic expertise, the partnership will strengthen evidence generation, inform programming, influence policy and unlock new opportunities for collaborative research and resource mobilization. Together, we're building the evidence needed to drive sustainable, systems-strengthening solutions that improve lives across Uganda. #WASHIsEveryonesBusiness

Yesterday, WaterAid Uganda joined the Ministry of Health, Jinja City, development partners and young leaders at the Second Town Hall Debate and Youth Engagement on National Cleaning Days and WASH in Jinja. Held under the theme, "Sustaining National Cleaning Days: Youth Leadership for Improved Sanitation and Public Health in Busoga," the dialogue highlighted the critical role young people play in driving behaviour change, improving sanitation and building healthier communities. At WaterAid Uganda, we believe lasting progress begins with informed communities and empowered citizens. By investing in youth leadership and strengthening partnerships, we can accelerate action towards cleaner environments, better hygiene and improved public health for everyone. Together, we can turn awareness into action and make clean, healthy communities the norm, not the exception. #YouthLeadership #PublicHealth #WaterAidUganda #Busoga #Hygiene #SDG6

Building stronger WASH systems begins with collective action. 💧 Yesterday, WaterAid Uganda joined fellow Agenda for Change partners, government institutions, development partners and civil society at the National WASH Systems Strengthening Reflection Session to assess progress and agree on priorities for the year ahead. The discussion reinforced an important truth: sustainable WASH services are not built through infrastructure alone. They require strong institutions, effective financing, accountable leadership, reliable data, continuous learning and meaningful partnerships. As a member of Agenda for Change Uganda, we remain committed to working with others to strengthen the systems that make safe water, sanitation and hygiene services more resilient, inclusive and sustainable. Because lasting change happens when we move beyond projects and strengthen the systems that serve everyone. #AgendaForChange #WASHSystemsStrengthening #SustainableWASH #WASHIsEveryonesBusiness

Today is Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day. In this video, Doreen, our SCIF Project Assistant and GEDSI Focal Point shares a memory from when she was 12 years old. A classmate accidentally dropped her menstrual pad while playing. Other children laughed, and the shame was so heavy that the girl stayed away from school for nearly a week. More than 20 years later, stories like this still happen in schools and communities. Menstruation is normal, yet too many girls still face stigma, silence and fear because they lack the support, information, safe water, decent toilets and hygiene facilities they need. At WaterAid Uganda, we continue to advocate for period-friendly schools and communities where every girl can manage her period safely, confidently and with dignity. No girl should miss school because of her period. #MenstrualHealthDay #MHDay #WASH #PeriodFriendlyWorld #WaterAidUganda

Today, on the International Day of the Midwife, we celebrate the dedication of midwives like Tigalana Frida. In her work at Ndejje Health Center III, she shares what it means to care for mothers and newborns in settings where the basics are not always guaranteed. While improvements such as handwashing facilities and regular IPC discussions have been introduced, the need for stronger support remains clear. Her experience reflects the reality many health workers face every day, doing their best to provide safe care under challenging conditions. As part of the Time to Deliver campaign, we join midwives across the world in calling for greater investment in water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare facilities. Because safe care begins with the basics. #TimeToDeliver #InternationalDayOfTheMidwife #WASH #MaternalHealth

Last week in Kabaale Village, Beatrice, our SCIF Project Assistant showed us how their newly installed water system is transforming access to safe water. 💧 From long queues at the borehole to water closer to home, communities are now saving time, improving hygiene and focusing on what matters most. Watch how this system is changing daily life in Kabaale. #WASHIsEveryonesBusiness #SCIF #SDG6 #WaterForAll #Uganda