Kabale and Rukiga schools given WASH items under Multisectoral Food Security program.

By Alex Byakatonda

Communication officer-Kabale

Kabale District local government has handed over items to headteacher of schools that have been benefiting from the Uganda Multisectoral Food Security and nutrition project, as the project closes in the district.
The district started implementing the project in the 2016/17 financial year before Rukiga district was curved away and therefore was being implemented in 100 primary schools, including 61 schools in Kabale and 39 in Rukiga district.
The items which were given to each school, included two wash tanks, one dust bin and a stainless-steel tank for drinking water, worth millions of shillings.

The project that was multisectoral in nature encompasses sectors like Health, education and Agriculture. The core objective of the project was, to increase the production and consumption of micro nutrient rich foods and utilization of community based nutrition services in smallholder households in the project areas.
The priority areas for achieving the the Project objective included, delivery of multi-sectoral nutrition services at community levels, demonstration and adoption of agricultural good practices; and utilization of community-based health and WASH services at project sites in beneficiary schools.

Speaking at the handover of the items, The Senior fisheries officer for Kabale District, Jennifer Twebaze, who has been the project focal person, said that the the items were procured under the component of WASH, whose aim was to improve on sanitation and hygiene in these beneficiary schools.
She implored heads of schools, to ensure that there’s sustainability of the project, despite the closure of its funding.

The Kabale District senior Education officer, Robert Ampeire, expressed concern that during their continuous visits to some schools, they realized most WASH items that these schools received during the Covid-19 period were left to waste and thereby urging them to ensure to put these items into right use.

The Principal Assistant Secretary for Kabale- Gordon Manzi, also urged the recipients to put these items into proper use and under the guidelines, lashing out at those headteachers who received irrigation skits under the same project, but failed to utilize them.
He also added that, although the funding the project has ended, the school heads should ensure that they replicate what they have learn and also educate other schools on how to implement the same.

Presiding over the handover of the items, the Kabale District Vice Chairperson, Miria Akankwasa Tugume, expressed optimism that the items donated to schools, will go a long way in improving sanitation and hygiene in schools, which is one of the ways of fighting diseases.

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