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"I got married at 25 years and had two wonderful sons, Rayan Kato who is 10 years and Rashid Kato who is 8 years. The marriage was good for a while but later on, my husband kicked me out saying I was illiterate and uneducated because I couldn’t speak English. But speaking English is not a measure of my intelligence. I was reserved, shy and my self esteem was very low. When I left, my skills were limited to farming and with my small farm, I had to struggle to feed and educate my children by selling surpluses. To supplement my income from the farm, I would cut and burn trees for charcoal then sell it. The contaminated water here in Gomba meant that I had to frequently take my children to hospital due to bouts of diarrhea and typhoid. The training from Uganda Women's Water Initiative has taught us skills that have helped us get access to clean water and my children's health has improved. We learnt how to construct Biosand filters, brick tanks and now we are learning how to make soap. I am very good at these tasks which has made me very confident and now I take the lead in training the women here. I have grown so much in the last two years. No one knew me here as I was very quiet and reserved. Now, I have new skills that I gladly teach all that are willing to learn. My children are in better schools as I can make more income. More so, being a woman counselor means I get to sit in the local government committees and deliberate on issues affecting the people of Gomba. I can campaign for reduced deforestation in the area, provision of resources for safe drinking water solutions and diversifying skills to encourage entrepreneurship. More people now turn up for training on sanitation and health including men. It is very encouraging to feel their support." Betty Birungi, Uganda Women's Water Initiative, Gomba.


Photos by Joel Lukhovi | Survival Media Agency

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Biosand Filters and Brick tanks A water solution in Gomba,_34271528791_o.jpg
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Shadia Wood
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Biosand Filters and Brick tanks
"I got married at 25 years and had two wonderful sons, Rayan Kato who is 10 years and Rashid Kato who is 8 years. The marriage was good for a while but later on, my husband kicked me out saying I was illiterate and uneducated because I couldn’t speak English. But speaking English is not a measure of my intelligence. I was reserved, shy and my self esteem was very low. When I left, my skills were limited to farming and with my small farm, I had to struggle to feed and educate my children by selling surpluses. To supplement my income from the farm, I would cut and burn trees for charcoal then sell it. The contaminated water here in Gomba meant that I had to frequently take my children to hospital due to bouts of diarrhea and typhoid. The training from Uganda Women's Water Initiative has taught us skills that have helped us get access to clean water and my children's health has improved. We learnt how to construct Biosand filters, brick tanks and now we are learning how to make soap. I am very good at these tasks which has made me very confident and now I take the lead in training the women here. I have grown so much in the last two years. No one knew me here as I was very quiet and reserved. Now, I have new skills that I gladly teach all that are willing to learn. My children are in better schools as I can make more income. More so, being a woman counselor means I get to sit in the local government committees and deliberate on issues affecting the people of Gomba. I can campaign for reduced deforestation in the area, provision of resources for safe drinking water solutions and diversifying skills to encourage entrepreneurship. More people now turn up for training on sanitation and health including men. It is very encouraging to feel their support." Betty Birungi, Uganda Women's Water Initiative, Gomba.<br /> <br /> <br /> Photos by Joel Lukhovi | Survival Media Agency