Safe Water for the Children of Kautakou
Twenty kilometres from Moroto, in an arid savanna with no significant water table, the students of Kautakou Primary School collected rainwater and walked a kilometre to the nearest well. We chose to change that.
The context
Kautakou Primary School is located in the Napak district, in Karamoja. 284 students and 6 teachers, in an area where access to water is among the most critical in the entire region: less than 40% of the population has access to safe drinking water, and 73% must travel at least 30 minutes to reach a source. The school had a solar-powered water pumping system — broken for years, with damaged panels and an unusable pump. To meet the daily water needs, children spent around seven hours a day filling jerricans from the nearest community well.
What we did
In partnership with ISP in Africa and with the support of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, we installed a new solar pump with panels and support frames, guaranteeing the school 5,000 litres of water per day. At the same time, 30 students took part in a course on sustainable agroforestry techniques, planting fruit trees and vegetables in the school grounds.
At the end of the project, the school became the owner of the installation, with a formal agreement with the District Education Office to ensure its maintenance over time.
The numbers
284 direct student beneficiaries · 6 teachers · 5,000 litres of water guaranteed per day · 30 students trained in sustainable agriculture · total project cost €5,694 · Casa Costa Foundation ETS contribution €1,708
