Consequently, water-borne diseases are the second leading cause of mortality in the region and account for 70% of all hospital visits. The socio-economic consequences are devastating, including reduced productivity of villagers too weak to work and the disruption of their children’s education.
Borehole Drilling Program
Since mid-2006, Lifeline has constructed 182 deep and shallow wells using two drilling machines owned by ILF. By investing in and using our own equipment we have drastically reduced the cost of drilling a borehole, enabling us to drill a larger number of boreholes every year.
With each well serving a population of between 500 and 1,500, these 182 wells are fulfilling the clean water needs of approximately 100,000 Ugandan villagers in the Lango sub region at a cost of approximately five dollars per person.
Sanitation and Hygiene Program
The single greatest cause of endemic diarrhea is poor hygiene.
To maximize the impact of each well it creates, Lifeline establishes a water user committee in each village to care for the well and sanitation teams to teach proper hygiene/sanitation practices.
The emphasis of the program is on proper hand washing, safe water storage and handling, hygienic cooking practices, expanding latrine coverage and improving and protecting water sources.
These interventions could hardly be more cost-effective, as studies have shown that proper hand washing alone can reduce the incidence of diarrheal diseases by more than 35%.