Articles From Ugandan Newspapers
A few articles about the ceremony on November 23rd have been published in various Ugandan newspapers. Thanks to Moses for sending us these scans!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Local Royal Banks: clean water & water education
The managers of our two local branches of the Royal Bank (Queen St E. & Lee Ave as well as Lawlor Ave. & Kingston Rd) are excited to join our network of community supporters. Bringing clean water to those who need it as well as water education for children in Canada are activities they wish to assist with. They donated $500 to match the donation made to the project made by students at Beaches Alternative School!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Adam Beck Donates School Supplies!
Thanks to Adam Beck for collecting school supplies for Kinu Primary School.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Giving the Gift of Water
Consider giving the gift of food and water this holiday season.
The Uganda Water and Garden Project would like to remind you that making a donation as a gift this season can make a difference in the lives of so many children and their communities.
The vision of the Uganda Water and Garden Project is to develop Kinu Primary School as an education centre and site for demonstrating sustainable methods to address water and food issues that can be replicated at schools across Uganda.
Making a donation this holiday season will help to make this happen.
Inserts for your own greeting cards or e-cards are available in any denomination. Gifts of $25 or more are eligible for a charitable tax receipt. For an additional $1 (to cover printing costs) greeting cards with space for your own personal messages are also available. For those living outside of the Greater Toronto Area, please allow 7 days for your gift cards or inserts to arrive.
Please contact us for further information or to order your gifts.
CASPCAN1@yahoo.ca
647.995.7312 (Vanessa)
Thank you for considering a donation to the Uganda Water and Garden Project this holiday season.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Donation in Response to Glen Ames' Efforts!
Glen Ames and others will be working on raising funds for the conversion of a second building to harvest water to be used for irrigating the school garden.
The news has been received in Uganda with excitement!
Parents of Kinu students will donate their labour to attach the troughs to the building.
The Chairperson of LCV Kamuli District has agreed to donate the conversion materials (eaves troughs) for the second building.
Water as a Human Right
See Water Rights Declaration:
Water is essential to life. It is part of the global commons, and belongs to the earth and all its species. It is sacred and needs to be treated with respect....
We resolve today to engage all Canadians in working to protect water for the planet and future generations. Public water is a human right!
CASP Sparks Generous Local Contributions
During the Nov 23rd Ceremony to Inaugurate CASP and the Water Tanks:
• An announcement was made of a new donation of $1,500 from Schools (BAS), Local Small Businesses in East Toronto and the Royal Bank of Canada.
• The RT. Hon Rebecca Kadaga, Speaker of the House of Parliament pledged fruit trees for the school garden to provide food (number to established later). She also pledged 1,000 Pine Trees as an extention to the planned Botanical Garden.
• The chairperson of local council (LC V), political head of the Kamuli District Mr. Steven Mubiru, pledged to provide all the conversions for two new tanks on the second building at Kinu School to collect water for garden irrigation.
• The Hon State Minister for Lands and area member of parliament for Bugabula south constituency– Kamuli District Asuman Kiyingi announced a donation of one million Ugandan Shillings (approximately 600 Canadian Dollars) to support the nearby Hospital to the school.
In addition, Moses reports that the community members, including parents of Kinu students, "strongly promised" to cooperate with the CASP programs whenever there is a need in terms of their manual labour.
Video of Kinu - Now Available!
We now have the "Life at Kinu Primary School" video prepared with subtitles.
It is a rough video shot with a digital camera we sent over last year. It shows you the school, the contaminated water hole, the children carrying heavy loads of water and the initial plans for the school garden. It also shows some of the children preparing their pen pal letters.
Please contact us if you are interested in obtaining copies for yourself, your school, or your family.
We will offer it at a "donate what you can" rate. All funds go to the project. Any donation of $25 or more will receive a tax donation. For a $25 donation (a cheque written to the TDSB -memo line: Uganda Project"), we will send you 3 CDs as a thank you.
Welcome Glen Ames
WELCOME GLEN AMES
Junior School, Grade 7 & 8
Mr. Moses Lyagoba, CASP Director in Uganda has asked me to thank you for joining our "family of schools" involved in the Ugandan Water & Garden Project.
Everyone is very excited to hear that you might be able to help build a water tank to provide irrigation for the school garden. This water will be critically important to the success of the garden. It will ultimately help feed the 700 students at Kinu Primary School (age 6-16 yrs).
I can't wait to see the look on the kids' faces when they see the soccer balls you are sending over!!! (I'll post photos of course)
It was great to come out to speak to such an energetic group. You are obviously committed to the Me to We process! And we are really excited about working with you!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Donation of 1,000 trees!
At the Nov 23rd Celebration the RT Hon Rebecca Kadaga, Deputy Speaker of the House of Parliament, announced a donation of 1,000 trees for the Kinu Primary's school lands in support of the garden project!
Garden Irrigation
As an initial step in preparing the garden, we are looking into converting a second building in order to collect rain water specifically for garden irrigation. We hope to have some news on this soon!
Celebration of Water Tank and CASP
A Celebration of Water at Kinu Primary School!
On Nov 23rd the RT. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, presided over a ceremony to inaugurate the water tanks and celebrate the Canada Africa School Partnership (CASP) as an officially registered community based organization. The festivities took place at Kinu Primary School.
The students formed a parade through the village to draw people, young and old, to the school for the celebration!
The banner in the parade read: Canada Africa School Partnership (CASP), With Partnership We Achieve, Launching on 23 Nov 2009. CASP is now a registered Community Based Organization in Uganda.
Here is the tank that students from BAS, Kimberley, Adam Beck and Monarch Park built. The plaque recognizes the Toronto schools that raised funds.
The entire community came out to celebrate the provision of water to 700 student at Kinu Primary School.
Speeches were given my local leaders and government officials. Here is the head teacher (principal) of Kinu Primary School.
A speech prepared by us, the Social Responsibility in Education Committee of Toronto, was read by a PLAN Uganda/International representative, Mr. Sam Acodu.
The RT Hon Rebecca Kadaga presided and inagurated both water tanks (including the second one here that was provided by UNESCO to match our contribution).
Everyone sang and danced!
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Nov 23rd Ceremony in Uganda: Special Announcement
Ceremony & Kamuli Community Celebration
On Nov 23rd the RT. Hon Deputy speaker of the 8th parliament of the Republic of Uganda Rebecca Kadaga will preside over a ceremony to inaugurate the rain water harvesting tanks and the Canada Africa School Partnership (CASP) as a registered community based organization in Uganda.
We have prepared a speech which will be read by PLAN Uganda/International NGO representative.
We have also arranged to have a banner made for display during the ceremony with a special message from Canadian Pen Pal Schools. It reads:
SHARING THE WORLD'S WATER CONNECTS US!Thanks to the Ugandan and Canadian volunteers who build the Kinu School Rain Water TanksA message from Beaches Alternative Public School, Adam Beck Jr, Kimberley Jr and Monarch Park C.I.In Toronto, Ontario, CanadaWe have made arrangements for Mr. Lyagoba Moses, Project Director of CASP in Uganda to add a special announcement to his speech:$500 donation from Beaches Alternative School$500 donation (from Nov 15 community/small business fundraiser)and ....$500 from the Royal Bank (Lee & Queen and Kingston Rd & Lawlor branches)!
Friday, November 20, 2009
Collection of School & Medical Supplies
List of School & Health Supplies Needed for Ugandan Children
Coloured pencils
Coloured markers
Grey (regular) pencils
Stickers (abc, numbers, fun)
English dictionaries (paperback)
Rulers (small, lightweight)
Balls new & used that can be deflated (soccer, basketball)
Band Aids
Medical bandages & medical tape
Tooth brushes
Tooth paste
In addition, they request:
Two pumps with several needles (for reflating balls)
If you are able to provide one of these pumps let us know so we can take this item off the list.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
UWGP a "Great Thing"
The Uganda Water and Garden Project gets a nod from the Toronto District School Board. Follow the link to read the article currently listed under Great Things on the TDSB website.
TDSB - Uganda Water and Garden Project
TDSB - Uganda Water and Garden Project
Friday, October 30, 2009
Primary School Books on WATER theme
Primary School Water Books
Water Hole
by Graeme Base, Puffin Books
JK- grade 1
In the tradition of his best-selling alphabet book, Animalia, author and illustrator Graeme Base takes young readers on an exhilarating journey of discovery with an ingenious fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book. From the plains of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon to the woodlands of North America and the deserts of outback Australia, the animals come together to drink from the water hole. But their water supply is diminishing. What’s going on? Each sumptuous landscape illustration conceals hidden animal pictures for readers to find as they count the animals that visit the water hole and try to solve the mystery: will the animals come back or is their water source gone forever? (amazon)
Our World of Water: Children and Water Around the World
by Beatrice Hollyer in association with OXFAM, Henry Holt and Co. Ltd.
grade 2-4
Wherever we live in this world-whether our country is rich or poor-water is vital to our survival on this planet. This book follows the daily lives of children in Peru, Mauritania, the United States, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Tajikistan, and explores what water means to them. Where does it come from? How do they use it? With the growing threat of climate change affecting all our lives, this book invites discussion on the ways different countries and cultures value this most precious of our planet's natural resources. (amazon)
One Well: The Story of Water on Earth
by Rochelle Strauss and Rosemary Woods, Kids Can Press.
Grade 4–6
Looking at all the water on Earth—in the atmosphere, the oceans, lakes, ponds, rivers, and rain as "One Well" into which all life dips to survive—Strauss presents a timely discussion of the use and abuse of a not-so-limitless resource. Liberally sprinkled with interesting facts—"It took about 130 L (34 U.S. gal.) of water to make your bike"—the readable text informs children of growing demands on a finite supply; increasing pollution; and the intensifying urgency for the conservation, preservation, and protection of a unique chemical combination more essential to all life than the air we breathe. Woods's delicate paintings keep perfect step and provide a gentle framework for the plentiful statistical snippets. Included is a section for children on "Becoming Well Aware," and notes for adults about helping youngsters (and themselves) to consider the quality and quantity of the water passing through their lives. Oversized, slim, and with an interesting slant.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. (amazon)
Water Solutions Research
WATER ACCESS, QUALITY & SOLUTIONS
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
prepared by the BAS Social Responsibility Committee
1. WATER ISSUES AT KINU PRIMARY SCHOOL IN UGANDA
Water Situation at Kinu Primary
A report on the water situation at Kinu Primary School was conducted by a water technician on November 8th 2008
The technician studied the feasibility of a rain water harvesting tank
The investigation involved visiting the school, village and surrounding area
Findings showed:
they need water for cooking and for cleaning the class rooms & latrines
they would also like a close source of water to help with irrigating a school garden and to drink
for the 600 students at Kinu Primary School the nearest source of clean water right now is a bore hole 2.5 km away
the children are tired when they return with the water (which is quite heavy), making it hard for them to concentrate on their studies
because the walk is so long and takes a lot of time, the children have less time available to be in school
the children are between 6-14 years old and the 2.5 km journey to collect water can be unsafe
children sometimes go to a closer source of water (see photo) but this water is contaminated and the kids get sick with diarrheal diseases. These illnesses can be difficult and expensive to treat.
Proposed Water Solution at Kinu Primary: Rain Water Harvesting Tank
a rain water harvesting tank would reduce health and safely risks for students
a 30,000 liter tank is recommended to support student and staff needs
see diagram of a sample rain water harvesting tank available from SR (available in electronic form)
2. QUICK FACTS ON WATER ACCESS
Though we use it constantly, we think very little about water and its place in our lives. Here are some water facts:
More than half of Africa's people lack access to safe drinking water. (UN)
Of all the renewable water available in Africa each year, only 4% is used because most Africans lack the wells, canals, pumps, reservoirs and other irrigation systems. (Africare)
In developing countries, one person uses an average of ten liters of water per day. In the United States, one person uses an average of 75-80 gallons in the same time period.
Each flush of the toilet uses the same amount of water that one person in the Third World uses all day for washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking.
Twelve million people die each year from lack of safe drinking water, including more than 3 million who die from waterborne diseases. (WHO)
Over 80% of the disease in developing countries is related to poor drinking water and sanitation. (WHO)
The average distance a woman in Africa and Asia walks to collect water is 6 km (3.75 miles).
The weight of water that women in Asia and Africa carry on their heads is equivalent to the maximum baggage weight allowed by airlines 20 kg, or 44 lbs.
Women are the primary caretakers for those who fall ill from water-related diseases, reducing their time available for education and productive economic efforts.
One-third of women in Egypt walk more than an hour a day for water; in other parts of Africa, the task can consume as much as eight hours.
Medical research has documented cases of permanent damage to women's health as a result of carrying water.
In some parts of Africa, women expend as much as 85% of their daily energy intake on getting water, increasing incidences of anemia and other health problems.
Source for the above facts: http://www.dropinthebucket.org/Water_Facts.html
3.BACKGROUND INFO ON HIGH VS LOW IMPACT WATER SOLUTIONS
Research Information about High versus Low Impact Water Solutions
Source: Book entitled Water Consciousness edited by Tara Lohan See: http://waterconsciousness.com/. Summary of page 140-142:
High Impact
There are substantial social, economic, and ecological costs that are often unanticipated. Tens of millions of people have been displaced from their homes by large-scale water projects over the past century. And we regularly neglect the consequences for nonhuman species and ecological systems. Examples of high-impact approaches include:
Damming and diverting rivers for irrigation, drinking water, flood control, and hydropower
Altering the natural courses of water bodies for navigation
Directing waste streams into local rivers, lakes, and coastal marine areas
SR Note: One example is the three gorges dam project in China. The tremendous impact on people and environment is documented in the film “Up the Yangtze” available at Roger’s Video. See: http://www3.nfb.ca/webextension/up-the-yangtze/.
Low Impact
Under a low-impact water regime, the role of management shifts from building and maintaining water-supply infrastructure to providing water services. These include:
Reusing and recycling water
Employing drought resistant landscaping
Redesigning urban spaces for water conservation
Rainwater Harvesting
One of the oldest recorded hydrological techniques, rainwater harvesting is an example of a low-impact water management approach. Since rainwater is relatively clean in comparison with many surface waters, it makes both economical and ecological sense to use rainwater as a resource. It is used around the world on a small scale at homes - called Domestic Rainwater Harvesting (DRWH). On a larger scale, some municipal systems have even incorporated rainwater harvesting. In some arid areas of the US including Arizona and Texas they are collecting rainwater off of public buildings and schools to irrigate landscape and supply restroom facilities.
A. Low Impact Natural Systems for Cleaning Water:
The Case Study of the Navikubo Swamp in Uganda
While technological solutions to water problems is one approach, it often results in solving one problem but creating others related to ongoing costs and environmental impact. Often there are natural systems that can provide benefits at a low cost. A good example of using natural systems to clean water is located in the largest wetland in Ugandan’s Kampala region (this is an area just between where the school with the model garden is located in Entebbe and the pen pal school is located in Kamuli region). Many of the city’s residential settlements and some of its industrial facilities are not connected to Kampala’s sewage system, and as a result contaminated water flows into this wetland. The Navikubo Swamp purifies the discharge before it enters Lake Victoria, which in turn serves as a source of drinking water.
As outlined in the report by The World Conservation Union, Eastern Africa Regional Office in Nairobi, located at: http://www.cbd.int/doc/external/countries/uganda-wetland-cs-2003-en.pdf , of particular significance is the ability of the wetland plants to remove pollutants from the water including phosphorus, nitrogen, and particles. Pathogenic organisms, the tiny organisms that make people sick, can be removed by these swamp plants as well. The study concluded that even though developers want to build overtop of the swamp area, it would not make economic sense in the long run. It would cost over 2 million dollars US each year to replace the work of the swamp in cleaning water through a water filtration facility. The study also concluded that development of the swamp would benefit a small number private individuals or companies rather than help keep water clean for the many people who live in the area who rely on this water.
B. Low Impact Collection of Rainwater:
A Local Case of Using Rain Barrels in Toronto
Rainwater storage systems are developed to harvest rain and use it for daily water needs. They are increasingly being applied in urban settings around the world to reduce water demand. Harvested rain can be used outdoors for irrigation, and indoors for toilet flushing, laundry and if filtered, as drinking water. Benefits include:
• Reduces demand on municipal water supply.
• Allows for storage of seasonal rains for use in off peak times of droughts and urban water bans.
• Harvesting systems reduce erosion, property flooding and contamination by capturing the majority of urban runoff from a house.
• Reusing water saves considerable amounts of energy. 33% of the City of Toronto's electricity use in a year is spent on water pumping and treatment.
Other benefits of rain barrels include:
Simple to install and suitable for virtually any household property size or location
Stores relatively clean water for use on lawns and gardens.
Can reduce domestic water use, lowering water bills and demands on city water system, especially during peak summer periods.
If used and maintained properly there can be a reduction of 65–70 % of runoff.
Also, plants grow better in rainwater compared to tap water. Rain water has a balanced pH and many of the chemicals that we need in drinking water such as chlorine are not in the rainwaer water stored in barrels. This relatively clean water is unlikely to carry disease and is safer for plants and fish.
For more information see Toronto Home Owners Guide to Rainfall, a guide to help you understand urban stormwater at http://www.riversides.org/rainguide/riversides_hgr.php?cat=2&page=50&subpage=97 or http://home.howstuffworks.com/rain-barrel1.htm
4. RESEARCH INFORMATION ABOUT RAIN WATER HARVESTING IN DEVELOPING WORLD
A. Source: Conference presentation entitled Better, Faster, Cheaper; Research into roofwater harvesting for water supply in low-income countries? By D. Brett Martinson & Terry Thomas, Warwick University, UK
Summary:
The water situation in many low-income countries is grim. More than one billion people have no access to clean drinking water and those that do often spend considerable time walking and waiting in line to collect it. Many water professionals are becoming worried about the increasingly difficult problems of finding and improving water sources while some existing water sources are now becoming depleted or polluted. Domestic roofwater harvesting (DRWH) provides an innovative solution to meeting water needs and can be implemented quickly
and modularly. It is also very robust against risks of unexpected change. Renewed interest in the technology is reflected in the water policies of many developing countries including Uganda, where it is increasingly being cited as a useful source of household water. While this is about smaller tanks used for individual family homes, rather than larger ones for a school, it may be of interest to BAS students. There are resource on-line that show the different styles of rain collection containers.
Full paper presents a summary of a number of papers based on projects in Uganda, India and Eithiopia: http://www.eng.warwick.ac.uk/dtu2/pubs/outside/arcsa1betterfastercheaper.pdf
B. Source: Domestic Rainwater Harvesting Fact Sheet from the Well Website by Jo Smet 2003. Engineering and Development Centre, Loughborough University.
Conclusions: There are many benefits of Rain Water Harvesting in terms of health, poverty reduction, education and equity:
a. reduction of burdens of the poor: less time spent in collecting water (particularly women and children);
b. reduction in water-related diseases as quality is usually better than water from traditional sources; impact is less sick days, savings on medical expenses and time for more economic activities;
c. improved health status as excess rainwater used for vegetable and crop growing gives improved diet;
d. less back problems and growth reduction particularly among children and women as transportation of heavy loads over long distances is reduced;
e. improved economic and health status from the income from vegetable and other crops, and other economic activities using excess rainwater;
f. more time for education and personal development, particularly for young girls as time saved is now used for school attendance or homework.
Source: Conference presentation entitled Domestic Roofwater Harvesting in the Tropics: the State of the Art. By Terry Thomas, Warwick University, UK
Summary:
roofwater quality has been studied for direct human consumption
In rich countries rain water can be treated (e.g. by UV-radiation or chlorination) to any required standard. In poorer countries cheaper measures are at hand to introduce if there is a general rise in required water quality.
It is clear that reliably and permanently screening tanks against adult mosquito entry is very difficult and quite impractical, so it is important not to have to rely on having to screen them out
roof-runoff event introduces some bacteriological contamination into storage tanks but then given that this is followed by low-nutrient darkness in the tanks, this results in bacterial die-off in about 48 hrs
there is also a process called “first flush diversion” that can be used whereby as the rain starts to come down, that water is diverted away from the tank and only after a period of time it is allowed to enter the tank
Metal roofs (which get very hot and hence sterilize themselves) produce cleaner water than asbestos or tile ones (at Kinu Primary School they have metal roofs). Thatched roofs yield limited quantities of seriously cloudy and polluted run-off and should be avoided
Lowering the nutrient levels of tank water – by pre-entry screening (that can catch frogs and lizards for example), filtering or first-flush diversion – quickens the rate of bacterial die off in the tank
larger tanks generate cleaner water than small ones
evidence shows that water quality improves with time, therefore any system that prevents newer more likely contaminated water from interacting with “aged” water in the tank will also enhance water quality
Full report can be found at:
Source: Rainwater Association in Uganda
Summary from Website:
In the past, Rainwater Harvesting technologies were relegated to the background in Uganda. They were looked at as an inferior source of water supply and this affected the promotion and expansion of RWH. Today, the situation is gradually changing particularly due to the awareness creation and advocacy by URWA. The government now recognizes RWH as one of the sustainable options for raising safe water coverage in the country and to help in achieving the millennium development goals. This is seen through the support of the RWH pilot project in Mbarara and Bushenyi Districts. Government has also put in place a strategy for the development of domestic rainwater harvesting in Uganda, which is yet to be mplemented. RWH is gradually gaining recognition as a viable water supply source among the policy makers and URWA continues to push it forward!
SR Note: this web posting was made in 2002 and Moses is in the process of seeing if the group is still active in Uganda.
Website:
