In the face of increasing water scarcity across semi-arid and arid regions of Africa, Africa Climate Resilience (ACR) is taking major strides to ensure communities have access to clean water, improved hygiene, and long-term climate resilience.
Through its water waste management project, the organization is creating lasting change, especially in underserved and hard-to-reach areas.
Julius Kitone, the Executive Director of Africa Climate Resilience, emphasized the organization’s mission to combat the urgent challenges posed by climate change.
“We work with communities, governments, and ecosystems to build resilience, promote sustainable development, and create a climate-secure Africa for future generations,” Kitone said.
Through community engagement and collaboration with governments, ACR has rolled out multiple interventions, including the construction of free hand washing facilities and donation of water tanks to water-stressed districts.
“So far, we have donated 275 tanks at a total cost $150,000 mainly in Uganda in water stressed district of Rakai, Mbarara, Nakaseke, Isingiro among others,” Kitone revealed.
Dr. Fred Alinda, Climate Change Expert and Director of Innovation and Research at Africa Climate Resilience, pointed out the paradox of Africa’s climate despite experiencing rainfall, drought and water scarcity persist.
He highlighted the effectiveness of the Rainwater Loss Management Project.
“Rain water loss management project has helped much in transforming lives of people but also improve agricultural yields,” he explained.
The tangible impact of ACR’s work is evident in local communities. Noeline Nakuya, 62, a resident of Magabi Kiteredde village in Rakai district, spoke of her transformation.
“I used to suffer with water scarcity during the prolonged droughts of June – September and January to mid March every year, but it is now history,” she said.
Nakuya uses water to support her domestic work, water for animals especially cows, goats and piggery and hence earn from the projects.
Another beneficiary, Rosette Kakyala from the same village, shared the financial relief the project brought her.
“I used to spend not less than $2000 to meet my water bills annually but now since Africa Climate Resilience constructed a water harvesting facility for her with the capacity of 5000 litres, i no longer foot water bills,” she said
Kakyala uses water for domestic construction work, water for irrigation and some for sale to supplement her income.
Local leadership has also recognized the vital role of water harvesting. Michael Yiga, a local council committee member in charge of welfare, praised the intervention.
“Many families live on a hand to mouth lifestyle. They cannot afford to save and buy water harvesting equipment in their households. Building such water harvesting facilities for them has enhanced their productivity due to sustainable water supply,” he said.
Beyond water access, ACR is integrating environmental conservation into its strategy by donating 5,000 fruit trees to communities to enhance food security and help mitigate climate change.
Kitone noted that while the project’s current footprint is primarily in Uganda, plans are underway to scale the initiative to other countries in the region.
“The project doesn’t stop in Uganda, but they are hoping to scale up to cover Northern Tanzania, South Sudan, Somalia and Kenya.”
With its multifaceted approach, Africa Climate Resilience is not only quenching thirst but also sowing seeds of sustainable development, empowerment, and hope for a climate-secure Africa.
According to research by Africa Climate Resilience, over 230 million people across Africa face water shortages, approximately 4.1 million hectares of forests are lost every year, and the continent has experienced a 30% increase in severe droughts over the past three decades.
