With a shortage of water to meet their daily needs, people have had to resort to drawing water from a nearby lake. This is untreated, and carries a risk of diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea – a regular seasonal problem in this part of the country.

“Water is a big problem,“ says Gabriel. “Look at the queue at the entrance to the camp. People have to wait from 6 o’clock in the morning until mid-afternoon to get water so some end up going to the lake, which is unsafe. I have heard that some women and children have drowned collecting water from the lake.“

Photo: Marie Cacace

Oxfam is working in partnership with a local organisation to ensure that communities receive the recommended minimum of 15 litres of water per person per day.

“The support that we are giving to a local partner will pay for the maintenance of  the existing water network and will ensure that people receive water that is safe to drink,” explains Oxfam water engineer Ildefonse. “In some areas and at some water points 90 per cent of water users are people who have been displaced.”

Photo: Marie Cacace

To ensure the improvements have an impact in the longer term, Oxfam is teaching members of the local community to test water safety and maintain the network themselves.

"We are training members of the community how to test water to make sure that it is safe for people to drink," explains Ildefonse, Oxfam's water engineer.

Photo: Marie Cacace

Most communities in the area live on less than $1 a day. Oxfam’s work to rehabilitate water networks means that people can access water near their homes, freeing up time to make a living and provide for their families.

“I have water close to my home, so I can spend more time looking after my family and helping to get food for them," explains Kahindo.

Photo: Marie Cacace

Oxfam’s partner Action Santé Femmes is installing water tanks to ensure that existing communities and the newly arrived displaced families are able to access a constant supply of clean and treated water.

The local children know all too well what happens if they drink water that is dirty. “If we drink water that is not clean, we get ill: I learnt it at school,“ says Israel.

Photo: Marie Cacace

Each water tank has a capacity of 10m³, which means that they can supply clean drinking water to the people of Mugunga community and also the people of the Mugunga 1 camp for three to four hours a day.

"If these tanks were not put in, people would not be able to have the recommended amount of clean drinking water per day and we would not conform to sphere standards [15 litres per day, per person]. When there is a lack of water, we see more illnesses among the community," points out Richard, a water technician from our partner ASAF.

Photo: Yao Bongoma

Oxfam is working with ASAF to make sure the water system is well maintained. It's especially important to look after the water station that pumps chlorine through the system and ensures that the water is always treated and safe to drink.

"We're happy there's water," says Fatima Eugenie. "Water from the reservoir cuts out as early as three or four o'clock in the afternoon. Then the tanks take over, so there's no water shortage. Sometimes in the morning, the reservoir is still filling up, so it's the Oxfam tanks that supply the water to the community."

Photo: Yao Bongoma

In Bulengo, Oxfam is setting up tanks to pump water from a nearby lake into a reservoir in the camp. The reservoir water will then be chlorinated, and tap stands installed around the camp.

"Together these tanks will be able to provide 140,000 litres of safe water daily. The Oxfam engineer building the water system is working with women and men both from the camp and from the neighbouring village. Having different communities working together helps to build links and reduce tension between the different groups, as well as providing some income to these families," explains Ashley Sarangi, Oxfam's Programme Manager.

Photo: Yao Bongoma

Paid labour to build the tanks and install the taps comes from within the camp.

"We live in the camp. We are helping Oxfam to install the pipe. We want to see if we can have water here," explain Mathieu Mushahara and Sibomana Levis.

Photo: Yao Bongoma