Clean Water that Transforms Lives

A young girl fetches water in Katungu village Kahoko cluster.

Katungi is a small village in Kahoko Cluster, almost an hour away from the main town of Rukingiri. Like many last-mile villages, Katungi is isolated by distance, terrain, and the multifaceted impacts of ultra-poverty including a lack of basic infrastructure that makes it difficult for the community to access markets and services. However, as Raising The Village’s motto attests—Our work begins where the road ends. That’s why, since 2021, Raising The Village has partnered with Katungi and the larger Kahoko Cluster to empower the community today, and for tomorrow.

Before partnering with Raising The Village, households in Katungi were deeply affected by clean water shortages, which impacted their access to drinking water, irrigation, and means to care for livestock. Most people depended on drawing water from unsafe open sources, such as unprotected streams that were prone to contamination.

One of the open springs that were used by the community members prior to RTV interventions in Kahoko cluster, Rukungir district.
“Attaining clean and safe water can be challenging. Sometimes, animals will drink from the unprotected water springs and sometimes people will use the spring, causing human waste to find its way into surface water and making many families sick.” Yousuf, the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) chairman of Katungi village, explains.

Such contaminated water is linked to the transmission of many diseases, and exposes communities to preventable health risks and even mortalities, especially among children.

Young community members in Kahoko Cluster safely use water without worrying about health challenges.
“Our community members are now using clean water in their households because of Raising The village. We no longer have health challenges such as cholera, typhoid which threatened a lot of families before. We have been moving forward since Raising The Village started in our village. We are seeing great changes and we appreciate the programs RTV is offering,” Yousuf shares with a relieved smile.

To address these challenges, Raising The Village contracted a protected spring in Kahoko Cluster to meet the community’s needs. These protected water sources keep out animals, leaves, human waste, and debris, which helps ensure safe access to water.