WWD 2001 Event
Message from the Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET)
The Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network put this message in the two daily English newspapers of Uganda that published a special supplement for World Water Day on 23rd of March 2001.
As Uganda boasts of great achievements and advancements in the past years, there is still a big percentage of poor people without access to basic safe water and adequate sanitation. The World Water Day provides the opportunity for reflection and building on past experiences and lessons learnt to plan the way forward. This year's theme: Water and Health highlights the health benefits realised from safe water and improved sanitation. However experience so far in the water and sanitation sector globally has shown that improving health through safe water and sanitation takes more than just construction of facilities. It requires adopting a people centered approach by integrating hygiene education and strengthening capacity of poor people to take action and make decisions that will improve the quality of their lives.
The challenge we face therefore as a sector is so enormous that no single effort or initiative alone could address the water and sanitation needs for poor people in Uganda. Since we all shoulder the responsibility for ensuring access to safe water and sanitation, and everyone's contribution is very crucial, the urgency of linking all efforts and initiatives can only be emphasised. There is need to join hands, combine efforts and pool resources in order to rise to the challenge facing us. Luckily for Uganda, (as demonstrated by the recently concluded presidential campaigns,) Water for People is a top priority and high on the political agenda. This political will and capital must be harnessed collectively for the benefit of poor people.
The Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network-UWASNET, a national network, which was formed by more than 150 local and international NGOs, aims at strengthening the contribution by NGOs and CBOs in achieving water and sanitation sector goals in Uganda. The Network is committed to working towards universal access to safe water and improved sanitation through fostering effective coordination, stronger collaboration and strategic partnerships. As part of Civil Society, NGOs and CBOs have capacity and ability to go beyond the mere construction of facilities, to bring lasting improvements in health by building on people's energy and creativity.
Therefore UWASNET urges all NGOs and CBOs in the water and sanitation sector to utilise this opportunity to develop working relations and nurture partnerships with other NGOs, Local Governments, Political Administration, Donors and Private Sector Organisations at all levels to help poor people gain access to safe water and improved sanitation. The recent regional workshops for NGOs and Local Governments held in August- October 2000 highlighted the huge potential for strengthening partnerships in the water and sanitation sector in Uganda that is currently underutilized.
Together, working in partnership, mobilizing all resources and coordinating all actions, we shall ensure that all Ugandans have access to safe water, improved sanitation and better health.
Contact
NGO Coordination Secretariat
E-mail: ngocoord@infocom.co.ug