New latrines in Naitandu village, Uganda

Richard Mills of the Red Cat Partnership, one of the corporate sponsors of Water for Kids was in Uganda in November. He reports on the building of latrines in Naitandu Village “WfK provide the 'Sanplat' re-enforced concrete slabs for the latrines; the householder is expected to dig the latrine pit, provide a brick-built base for the Sanplat, and to construct a shelter around the Sanplat... My opinion is that the Sanplat is the key stimulus for the construction of the latrines.” He also said: “the village leader clearly has considerable influence and genuine leadership within the village. His role is crucial; to borrow one of our own management clichés, if there is no commitment from the top, things won’t happen.” At least 50% of the sanplats provided in 2011 have been used to build latrines which are now in use.

uganda latrine
Ugandan latrine construction

Project completed
in Bo Market Sierra Leone

A project support by Water for Kids in Sierra Leone has been completed. It has provided a water tank and stand pipes in the Central Market of Bo, Sierra Leone's second city. Children are often in and around the market for 10 hours a day whilst their parents are selling their wares. The grant of £5,327 (two thirds of the total cost) was paid to Kenilworth Rotary Club, which is working with One World Link which is the twinning organisation for Warwick District Council and Bo's Council.

A memorial for Roy Emerson in Kenya

Stephen Young, Chairman of Water for Kids spoke at the memorial for our enthusiastic supporter and Vice President Roy Emerson in October. Water for Kids has dedicated its project at Minya school in the Ndhiwa District in Kenya to his memory. Our partners, the Kenya Acorn Project (KAP), have installed a rainwater harvesting system and wash stands for the 420 pupils at the school. A nearby borehole pump is now being replaced and a blockage cleared; we hope it will be operating shortly, providing much needed safe water for the local community. Many young Kenyans will benefit from Roy's vision for Water for Kids.

This is part of a scheme where KAP are providing rainwater catchment at six primary schools in Ndhiwa. Water for Kids has given £10,075 for these works in Ndhiwa, it will improve the health and quality of life for a total of 3600 pupils and their families.

Roy Emerson's granddaughter, Sarah Brown, raised £518 for Water for Kids in memory of Roy by running the 2011 Great North Run. A big thank you to Sarah.

News and Events

water for kids


The year ahead

2012 will be a busy one for Water for Kids. No surprises there! At a meeting in October, the trustees were able to agree an expenditure budget of £60,000 pounds for the year. The really good news, however, is what we will achieve with these funds. Our plans include developing the programme of providing water sources together with sanitary facilities and health education in and around Iganga in Uganda. And we are anticipating a good report from our new partners Helping Ugandan Refugees http://www.h-u-r.org.uk/ as they create for the first time a safe water source at a refugee camp in Uganda. We will also extend our current good work in Zambia in Chipapa and Chongwe. Edgar Mulwanda has taken over the role of project manager in Zambia, on behalf of our partners, the Zambian Institute of Environmental Health. Similarly, we anticipate assisting further in projects in Sierra Leone and Kenya.

The trustees, as ever, will welcome the opportunity to view and offer advice to anyone seeking assistance in providing water, sanitation and health education to communities with children.

Back at home, the trustees have set themselves an ambitious package of tasks designed to refresh and re-new the trustee body itself. This should ensure that whatever the future holds the charity will be in good shape to continue to deliver its goals.

Finally, I want to thank the two trustees who stepped down at the AGM in October. Pauline Wilkinson helped shape the trustees policies. Barrie Whitehead was a giant in Water for Kids’ work in many nations and projects. It will be hard to fill his shoes! Also a big thank you to Greenford Sikazwe, the outgoing project manager for our Zambia projects, for all his hard work and enthusiasm over the last three years.
Stephen Young (Chairman of Water for Kids)
View the Annual Report for 2010/11 (pdf)

Trustees' visit to Zambia

Two protected wells for the 407 people in Chongwe were handed over in June during the visit to Zambia by Water for Kids trustees Natasha Franklin and Sara Emanuel. The wells were built by Village Water under the supervision of the Zambian Institute of Environmental Health. The project involved hygiene education which led to each household building a latrine, dish rack and refuse pit. On-going hygiene education will be carried out by the local Environmental Health Technician to maximise the prevention of waterbourne disease. Village Water are drafting a proposal for the refurbishment of a number of existing wells, which are in poor condition, and building of more new wells along with hygiene education in the large rural area of Chongwe.

The trustees of Water for Kids agreed the funding of £5,617 for a third phase of work in Chipapa including two protected wells in a remote area, taps for hand-washing at the school and materials to enable 100 families to build latrines. During their recent visit Sara and Natasha were pleased to see that Chipapa school has a beautiful new classroom block. It was built using bricks and roof tiles made on site using local materials. This would not have been possible without the water supply installed by Water for Kids in 2009.

Douglas' End to End cycle ride for Water for Kids

Douglas Muir
Douglas Muir cycled from Land's End to John o'Groats in May 2011 and raised over £1,600 for Water for Kids. Find out more about his trip on his blog

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