KIRYANDONGO, 12 November 2025 – Two new solar-hybrid piped water supply systems are transforming daily life for thousands of refugees in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement, ending years of long treks to fetch water from distant sources.
The systems, funded by the European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations [DG ECHO] and implemented by UNICEF in partnership with the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), now provide safe water to approximately 165,000 refugees from South Sudan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya.
“I used to spend almost the whole day walking three kilometres to the water point,” says 30-year-old Habib Ahmad, who arrived from Sudan in January 2025. “Now I just walk a few metres. It takes me 10 or 15 minutes and I’m done. UNICEF and the European Union have solved our water problem. People were really suffering.”
This intervention was crucial. Before the installation, the settlement’s per capita water availability had dropped to a critically low nine litres per person per day, well below the humanitarian standard of 20 litres. The new systems are expected to immediately restore availability to at least 20 litres per person daily, replacing the costly and unreliable water trucking that had been the main source since a major refugee influx in 2023.
“This project demonstrates the European Union’s commitment to greening its humanitarian aid through sustainable and life-saving assistance to refugees and their host communities,” said Liam Kelly, Head of EU Humanitarian Aid in Uganda. “It is a good example of the nexus approach, where humanitarian and development actors work together to ensure a sustainable water supply.”
Dr Robin Nandy, UNICEF’s Representative to Uganda, expressed his gratitude to the EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations for their longstanding support to UNICEF’s humanitarian work, highlighting the project’s human rights dimension.
“Our partnership with the European Union has been instrumental in providing the much-needed, round-the-clock access to safe and clean water for refugees and host communities. Access to clean water is a fundamental right for children and their families. Now that the two systems have been completed, we are optimistic that refugees and host communities will no longer have to trek long hours in search of this basic service,” Dr Nandy said.
Beyond convenience, the water project brings significant health and social benefits. By reducing the distance that women and children, who traditionally collect water, must travel, they now have more time to focus on other household tasks, attend school, and engage in income-generating activities.
Moreover, readily available clean water reduces the risk of disease and encourages essential hygiene practices such as handwashing, helping to prevent diarrhoeal illnesses and skin infections within the community.
The water systems will also benefit 4,000 pupils at Canrom Primary School, who will use the water to improve drinking, handwashing, and personal hygiene.
The sight of children gathered at the now continuously flowing tap stands, drinking, rinsing their faces, and washing away the day’s dust, their laughter filling the air, symbolises the most fundamental shift in daily life across the settlement.
https://thecooperator.news/masindi-municipality-residents-demand-safe-water/
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