Research on Access to Safe Water and Post-primary Education

Hope Community Action (HCA) accomplished field research on access to safe water and post-primary education in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement in July and August 2019.

HCA was also privileged to engage over 30 leaders representing about 100 pastors in the refugee settlement.  It was amazing to see their support and welcome rendered to Hope Community Action Africa. 

Moved by the very long lines of empty water cans at water sources and the number of parents desperately looking for school fees for their children going to secondary school in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, HCA launched a research to explore the condition of life in the settlement in regard to access to safe water and post-primary education.

Nearly a third of the population (29%) was still dependent on swamp water in 2019!

There was only one secondary school available for such a great population. Obtaining secondary education was very costly for parents in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement. Even with such financial difficulty, parents are required to raise school fees, scholastic materials and food items. Refugees had little space in the settlement where they could grow crops to supplement what UNHCR was providing. When this was collected as well, that meant whatever was left not enough still. This was a sign that the access to secondary education in the settlement was too costly for them.

Prayer Week – Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, July 25, 2019

The Team Leader, Emmanuel Manishimwe, met several leaders and other stakeholders in Rwamwanja Refugee Settlement, to share about our mission and listen to their feedback regarding HCA intervention in the settlement.

A team of 10 leaders joined Emmanuel to run research on access to water. This research involved 250 adults. About 15% of these respondents participated in two separate workshops, one for pastors from different Churches and the other for a core team of volunteers.

With the HCA vision in mind, we brought together 20 leaders for a prayer breakfast in Kampala on Saturday, July 6th, 2019. The theme of the breakfast was “Shining God’s Light in my Community” (Matthew 5:14-16). Mr. Ken Prochnow spoke to the participants via a video link. He encouraged participants to shine God’s light in their communities, at home and in the workplace.