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UWASNET will hold its AGM (Annual Genaral Meeting) in Kampala Ugnda. Date and Venue to be announced

London Professor wins 2008 SIWI Water Prize

Stockholm, March 19, 2008 – Professor John Anthony Allan from King’s College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies has been named the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. Read More

First African Water Week celebrations held successfully

For the First time in Africa, Tunisian town of Tunis was graced to host the First Africa Water Week at Sheraton Tunis between March 26th-29th, 2008.Read More


 
UWASNET was launched in November 2000 and registered in June 2001, with the assistance of the Government of Uganda, the Development partners and the NGOs and CBOs. Currently the network (UWASNET) has a membership of close to 150 NGOs and CBOs, both national and international. UWASNET was established to respond to a number of challenges faced by the Water and Sanitation Sector including:
  1. Inadequate coordination between Government (DWD) and NGOs/CBOs
  2. Poorly developed and inconsistent operations by NGOs/CBOs, and difficulties in assuring quality
  3. Inadequate human resources, especially at Local Government level
  4. Absence of a focal point for coordination of NGO activities in the sector
  5. Increase in the number of development partners willing to support the sector through partnerships with NGOs/CBOs
  6. The need for Government to provide an enabling environment for NGOs/CBOs coupled with the difficulties faced by NGOs/CBOs in providing feedback to Government
  7. Poor utilization of the comparative advantages of NGOs in the sector and lack of a reliable and up to date database of NGOs/CBOs in the sector rendering it difficult for Government to try and support NGOs/CBOs
  8. The need to improve the capacity of Civil society As partners to complement Government

The Government of Uganda in its Poverty Eradication Action plan (PEAP) aims at ensuring universal access to safe water and improved sanitation by 2015. However the decentralisation process has demonstrated that the task ahead is too enormous to be achieved through government efforts alone! As part of Civil Society Non governmental and Community based Organisations (NGOs and CBOs) have a crucial role to play to ensure that this noble task is achieved.

Past experience has shown that inadequate coordination, ineffective networking and collaboration among themselves and with other stakeholders negatively affected the contribution by NGOs and CBOs in the water and sanitation sector.

This formed the basis for the establishment of Uganda Water and Sanitation NGO Network (UWASNET) in February 2000. The then Ministry of Water, Lands and Environment launched UWASNET in November 2000. It was mandated to ensure effective coordination, networking and collaboration of NGOs and CBOs in the water and sanitation sector in Uganda.
All people in Uganda accessing adequate and sustainable safe water and good standards of hygiene and sanitation.

To strengthen Uganda’s water and sanitation sector NGOs and CBOs as well as the coordination and collaboration among them and other stakeholders.

  • Teamwork
  • Transparency
  • Quality service
  • Accountability
  • Innovativeness and
  • Impartiality

  • Coordination (including Collaboration, Networking, Information Sharing)
  • Advocacy and Lobbying
  • Capacity Building
  • Research and Development
  • Resource Mobilisation
  • Governance and Management

• To strengthen the collaboration between NGOs and Government departments

• To promote partnerships between NGOs and other sector stakeholders in the water and sanitation sector in Uganda

• To strengthen the co-ordination and networking among NGOs and CBOs at all levels

• To contribute to the development and implementation of sector policies strategies, standards and guidelines.
• Signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Water and Environment for support to NGOs/CBOs coordination
• Carried out capacity needs assessment of member organisations which led to the 5 year NGO Capacity Building Programme
• Ownership of office premises in Butabika, Luzira with a small but vibrant Secretariat.
• A membership of 150 NGOs and CBOs active in the water and sanitation sector of Uganda
• Earned a place in high level policy meetings with Government departments and development partners. Such fora provide a platform to articulate NGO/ CBO issues.
• Documentation of member organisations and their activities including a quarterly newsletter that is widely disseminated to all stakeholders.
• Affiliated to both local and international organisations and networks such as ANEW,FAN,WWC,WSSCC,GWP ,NBI,SIWI etc
• Functionalised Five working Groups on themes such as hygiene and sanitation, Urban Water and Sanitation, Technologies, Women and Children, and policy and advocacy.
• Established an Information centre with free internet services for member NGOs and CBOs.
• Facilitated the participation of members in various trainings and conferences at national, regional and international level.
• UWASNET currently hosts 2 major national projects:
National Hand Washing Using Soap Campaign(NHWC) and Hygiene Improvement Project(HIP) UWASNET is in final stages of hosting a sub-regional office for African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW)
 
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