Respondent: Doreen Kabasindi Wandera ; Executive Director , Uganda water & Sanitation NGO Network-UGANDA
Individuals and groups experiencing stigmatization / How different groups and individuals are affected / How stigmatization is relevant to access to water and sanitation / What measures are being taken to address and overcome stigmatization / Remarks
Women /
- Poorest of the poor
- Lack access to basic facilities
- Work loaded
- Denied education access & Information
- Poor health conditions especially child bearing mothers
- Hunger
- (women role to provide food for family)
Lack of toilet facilities and sanitary pads compromise women dignity and expose them to disease and genital infections
Women walk long distances to access water , in addition to House hold core and gender reproductive and productive roles. Therefore overworked and result in ill health and death.
Women do not participate in decision making in regard to WASH issues such as , technology; water governance; planning & Monitoring.
Lack Access Water and Sanitation facilities – resulting in disease, anti & post natal complications and child death due to WASH related diseases
Water stress and lack of appropriate irrigation technology to support food production / None
Campaigns are on going to raise awareness & lobby for increased sanitation budgets for better service delivery
- Government is making effort to improve water access at (65%)
- Technology for self supply e.g rain harvesting are being promoted
- Income generation for Women groups are being supported so that they can hire labor for support
Participatory decentralized planning is done starting at grass root
Community radio programs being done
Water and sanitation facilities are provided in some hospitals
Water for production Master Plan in Place but with no adequate funding / No tangible results yet
More effort still required
Challenge is most women do not own radios let alone the time to listen
House Hold access must be addressed
- Need to integrate IWRM for water resource sustainability and combat Climatic change
- Research & appropriate Technology for simple affordable irrigation required
Girls /
- Drop out of school
- Early pregnancy
- Lack access basic utilities
- Cultural norms
- Early marriages
- Girls walk long distances to fetch water and miss out school or perform poorly in class as a result of absenteeism or late coming
- Sharing toilets at school compromises their privacy & dignity
- Lack of sanitary pads
Girls lack appropriate sanitary pads resorting to poor, dirty materials resulting into infection , disease and lost dignity and virginity
In some cultures Girls are supposed to stay in doors during monthly periods, menstrual blood collected in some hole therefore do not use pads.
Girls Raped trecking long distance lonely path to collect water, he who pregnant the girl must marry her / Universal education has been introduced
Gender segregation in providing toilets is being practiced in schools (56%)
Campaigns are on going by some NGO / Compliance and facilitation by parents and government respectively still wanting.
Affordability Is a challenge
Children under 5 years /
- Disease & Malnutrition
Poor people /
- Lack access to basics of life
- Dignity
- Hunger and disease
Water stress leads to food scarcity since our agriculture is rain fed / Pro-poor policies put in place / No compliance and limited budget allocation to commitments
People with Disability /
- Lack access to basics of life
- Dignity
WASH policies in this regards poorly implementation / Some equity and inclusion is being practiced.
Policy available / Lack budget to implement recommendations.
Monitoring compliance is poor
Vulnerable people
- Elderly
- Sick (HIV/AIDS)
- Discrimination
- Access to basic needs
- dignity
- Inappropriate WASH technology hamper access to services
- Poor policies do not cater for this group in terms of access to WASH
- Poor Sanitation facilities e.g sanitary pads, contribute to spread of disease
- Lack of WASH serves put attendants to risk of contracting HIV