The campaign was launched on Monday at Buheesi Sub County Headquarters.

Bunyangabu district Water Office in partnership with IRC Wash and Ministry of Water and Environment has launched a home improvement campaign in Buheesi Sub County.

According to Sarah Kobusinge, the Assistant Water Officer Incharge of Sanitation, the campaign is aimed at ensuring people from all the 18 villages that make up Buheesi Sub County are staying in homes with good sanitation, sleeping under mosquito nets, have latrines, a kitchen and feed on a balanced diet.

Kobusinge said the campaign has started with immediate effect and will last three months.

 “We ask leaders to be exemplary in this campaign because at the end of it all, we shall even award the best performers,” she said.

 Mr Emmanuel Okurut, Ministry of Water incharge for the Western region hailed Bunyangabu District leadership and the partners for the initiative.

 “As the Ministry, we support this campaign because it is in line with SDG 6.2 which talks about achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations,” Mr Okurut said.

 For his part, the Bunyangabu Deputy RDC, Mr Robert Kamuntu, encouraged the technical staff and political leaders to fully embrace the initiative, saying it is in the interest of government to see that the population is healthy and prosperous.

Mary Concepta from IRC Wash said they are supporting the Home Improvement Campaign because they believe that being healthy is paramount for development.

On the say day, a newly constructed toilet with support from IRC Wash was commissioned at Rubona Primary School. The toilet, which is specifically for girls, has five stances, an incinerator for menstrual waste, a bathroom, a stance for pupils with disabilities, a water harvesting tank and a hand washing point.

 The Head teacher, Mr Clovis Ategeka, said the facility will greatly improve the pupil-stance ratio that was standing at 1:104 instead of the recommended 1:40.

“We also hope that our performance will improve because when you have better sanitation facilities, even the pupils will enjoy the environment and regularly attend school without worries. In 2022, we had only 5 first grades but in 20223, we got 30 and we hope for the best because we are putting in place what is necessary for better performance,” the headteacher said.

 The LCV chairman, Hon James Ategeka Mugarama, highly commended IRC Wash for the good initiatives in the district, saying they have been a dependable partner since the establishment of the district.