transforming communities


One in four people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, according to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (2025). While nearly a billion people gained access between 2015 and 2024, progress has been uneven, with significant gaps persisting in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia.

In Uganda, the most recent National Population and Housing Census highlights similar disparities. Only 24.3% of households have handwashing facilities with soap and water, 41.2% use safely managed sanitation services, and 80.8% rely on safely managed drinking water services. Access remains uneven, with rural communities continuing to lag behind urban areas: 4% of households practice open defecation using bushes or fields, 42% rely on basic or unimproved toilet facilities, and 54% use an improved facility, such as a pit latrine with a slab.

Since the year 2000, Bega Kwa Bega (BKB) has been working tirelessly to improve access to safe water and sanitation in the central, eastern, and western regions of Uganda and beyond. What began with a single borehole and a few water tanks has grown into a remarkable journey of impact, resilience, and community transformation.

Over the years, BKB has:

1. Protected and constructed 296 springs and 44 boreholes, ensuring thousands of families have reliable access to clean water.

2. Installed 66 water tanks, 92 water drums, and distributed over 20,470 jerrycans to households.

3. Built 12 pit latrines and bathrooms, improving hygiene and dignity for families.

4. Reached an estimated 281,054 beneficiaries across villages, schools, and communities.

5. Set up household and school sanitation and hygiene facilities such as tippy taps, dish racks, etc.


This progress has not been easy. In the early years, resources were limited, but through reinvestment, donor support, and community participation, the program expanded steadily. By 2025, 15,000 to 25,000 people were benefiting annually from new water sources. Even in challenging years, BKB continued to innovate, combining spring protection, borehole drilling, rainwater harvesting, and sanitation facilities to meet diverse community needs.


The impact is visible: children no longer walk long distances for unsafe water, families enjoy better health, and communities thrive with dignity. Each borehole, spring, and jerrycan tells a story of hope, resilience, and partnership.