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Clean Water Close to Home Changes Everything

An estimated 81% of Ugandans lack access to clean, safe water. In rural communities, women and children — disproportionately girls — walk up to five miles a day to reach unsafe water sources. Waterborne disease remains a leading cause of childhood mortality, and women and girls risk sexual assault on long walks to fetch water. Since 2000, BKB has brought clean, easily accessible water to more than 281,000 people across Uganda.


Our WASH Impact

281,054

People with access to clean water

35,504

Households served by WASH programming

245

 Protected springs built

44

Boreholes drilled

64

Rainwater harvesting tanks installed

92

Water storage containers provided to elderly and disabled residents unable to travel to water sources

Clean Water Infrastructure

BKB's WASH program identifies communities with the most critical water needs through baseline surveys, then works with communities to construct the solution best suited to each community's geography and needs: protected springs, drilled boreholes, or rainwater harvesting tanks.


 Every project is designed for longevity and community ownership. Before a water source is handed over, BKB trains a local water management committee to maintain and repair it. Households receive clean storage containers for safe water handling at home. Communities contribute to a small maintenance fund — ensuring the water source remains functional for years to come.


To date: 245 protected springs built, 44 boreholes drilled, and 64 rainwater harvesting tanks installed. Water storage containers have also been provided to community members unable to travel to shared water sources, including 92 elderly residents and people with disabilities.

What Clean Water Makes Possible

Safe water close to home means children — especially girls — spend less time fetching it, face less risk of harassment and violence on long walks, and have more hours available for school. It means fewer waterborne illnesses, healthier families, and caregivers freed from hours of daily water runs.


For schools, clean water means hygienic meal preparation, functioning handwashing facilities, and uninterrupted learning. In 2023–24 alone, 3,326 households — more than 16,600 people — and 12 schools gained access to clean, safe water through BKB.

Sanitation And Hygiene Education

Access to clean water is only part of the picture. BKB's hygiene education workshops teach practical, low-cost sanitation practices that meaningfully reduce disease risk: constructing handwashing stations, building dish racks and compost pits, and protecting food from contamination.


The impact of this education became visible during COVID-19, when communities that had learned hygiene practices through BKB were already prepared — handwashing and sanitation were ingrained habits, not new instructions.


Beyond households, BKB trains school communities in hygiene and sanitation, supplying hygiene kits, handwashing stations, and educational materials to schools across Uganda.


A borehole or protected spring can provide clean water to an entire community for decades. Fund one today.