Clean water flows in Uganda
Access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene requires more than infrastructure alone. This is one of the key insights from the WASH, Learn & Share project, which is showing clear results in Western Uganda in 2025.
To date, 12 of the 18 primary schools have been provided with access to safe drinking water, benefiting thousands of pupils and community members with improved WASH services, education and sustainable, long-term solutions.
Update: 21 August 2025
From 6 to 12 schools
In 2025, year two of the three-year programme, work continued at a further six of the 18 primary schools. New water infrastructure was installed to reduce reliance on external water sources. At all schools, rainwater harvesting tanks were constructed, ranging from 10 to 15 m³, including first-flush systems to improve water quality.
These systems allow schools to store sufficient water during the rainy season for drinking and sanitation. Combined with new handwashing stations and water tanks of 250 to 500 litres, schools now have reliable water directly on the school grounds — a crucial condition for hygiene, health and continuity of education.
In total, 3,368 pupils benefit from this improved water and WASH infrastructure.
WASH clubs: students make the difference
WASH clubs have been established at all participating schools, bringing together groups of pupils who actively promote clean water, hygiene and sanitation. They receive training on safe water use, handwashing, toilet use and menstrual hygiene.
Club members help keep the facilities clean and encourage their peers to adopt good hygiene practices, contributing every day to a healthier and safer learning environment.
Beyond the school grounds, pupils also share their knowledge with parents and community members, for example during meetings or through local radio. In this way, WASH clubs help ensure that new facilities are not only built, but also properly used and sustainably maintained.
Rehabilitation of 6 community water sources
Investment in physical water infrastructure also continued beyond the school grounds. In the first half of 2025, six existing community water sources were rehabilitated in collaboration with local governments, including protected springs and water wells that had been out of use for an extended period of time.
Through repair works and technical improvements, these sources were brought back into operation, restoring access to clean water for at least 3,596 people in surrounding communities — often closer to home than before.
At all rehabilitated water points, water committees have been trained in technical management, maintenance and organisation, helping to ensure that the systems remain functional over time.
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The cost recovery plan helps us to pay for all this. We have a banana plantation, we raise pigs and we grow trees which we sell as firewood.
— Peter Kusemererwa, teacher at St. John’s Yerya Primary School
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Linking water infrastructure to sustainable management
A key focus of the WASH, Learn & Share programme is that infrastructure is only sustainable when resources for maintenance are in place. For this reason, investments in water infrastructure are closely linked to cost recovery planning.
Schools are developing income-generating models — for example through agricultural activities or future water kiosks — to cover the operational costs of WASH facilities. In 2025, designs and business models for these water kiosks were further developed and prepared for pilot implementation.
Looking ahead: scaling up water systems
While tangible results have been achieved at both school and community level, further impact depends on scaling up. In the next phase, the programme will focus in part on expanding gravity flow schemes, which have a much wider reach and are crucial for long-term water security in the region.
Made Blue finances 75% of the project, enabling investments in water infrastructure, rehabilitation works and sustainable management. Together with partners, efforts are underway to further expand access and ensure the long-term availability of clean water.
What is already clear is that investing in water infrastructure in and around schools delivers immediate and measurable results — for pupils and surrounding communities alike.
Progress in Uganda
Watch the video to see how clean drinking water is already making a difference in daily life at schools and in communities across Uganda.
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