Water and sanitation are human rights, fundamental to every child and adult. Water and sanitation are essential for life and health, but they are also essential for dignity, empowerment and prosperity. But in Uganda, poor sanitation and hygiene, as well as unequal access to safe drinking water, make thousands of children very sick and at risk of death.

Diarrhoea alone, is one of three major childhood killers in Uganda, killing 33 children every day. In most cases, children get the disease by drinking unsafe water or coming into contact with contaminated hands — theirs or parents or caregivers — that have not been washed with soap.

RUFODE’S is encouraging Behaviour change as a key to increasing the practice of hand washing with soap and ending open defecation. The change can be accomplished through motivation, information and education.RUFODE advocates for Access to improved water and sanitation facilities necessary for improved health.RUFODE works for the installation of proper sanitation facilities in schools to reduce the ratio of high absenteeism and dropouts, especially for girls.

RUFODE advocates for increased access to quality safe water and sanitation facilities for rural areas. access to water in both quantity and quality, which prevents disease and sustains lives and livelihoods; reducing environmental health risks by managing sanitation safely and with dignity; and, involving women and men in managing water and sanitation resources and safe hygiene practices to maximize the benefits for their communities.

During emergencies, the water and sanitation systems that communities depend on often collapse or become enormously overtaxed. People are often traumatized, hungry, dehydrated and exhausted, and, therefore, they are more vulnerable to diseases such as diarrhea and cholera. Repairs or expansions take time, time that people who need them to stay alive don’t have. Without water, people can’t last much beyond three days. That’s why we focus much of our emergency response on providing survivors with a safe supply of water and reducing public health risks.

Access to clean water is also deeply linked to poverty. Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world, especially for women and girls who spend endless hours fetching water over long distances.

For RUFODE, tackling the root causes of poverty often means addressing these water-related injustices. We’re supporting long-term projects with sustainable solutions to provide safe water and sanitation and to address water insecurity through fairer and more efficient management and distribution of water resources.