Water and sanitation are essential for life and health, but they are also essential for empowerment and prosperity. Water and sanitation are human rights fundamental to every child and adult. In Uganda however, it is not the case, poor sanitation and hygiene as well as unequal access to safe drinking water, made thousands of children very sick and at risk of diseases and ultimate death.
Diarrhea, Typhoid among other diseases are childhood killer diseases in Uganda and they claim over 33 children every day. Children mostly get the diseases by drinking unsafe water or getting into contact with contaminated hands of their parents or caretakers which have not been washed with soap. Early childhood diarrhea is also responsible for contributing to Uganda’s high level of stunting which in turn affects children’s cognitive development and performance at school.Even in schools, there is lack of proper sanitation facilities leading to high absenteeism and subsequent drop outs especially for girls Through behavioral change combined with other strategies, LDRU works to increase the practice of hand wash with soap, end open defecation and provision of hygiene facilities like toilets, safe and clean water sources among others. This can further be achieved through motivation, information and education. Clean water must be available for people to improve their hygiene behavior as well as soap. Girls must have privacy and dignity when using sanitary facilities. In rural areas we work with districts and community leaders to monitor and report progress. We also promote promote-private partnership for innovative sanitation technologies and maintenance of wash facilities.