Success indicators and barriers to access: a study of community-based water management in Uganda

Researchers conducted 37 semi-structured ethnographic interviews and household surveys during the month of June 2014 to better understand water management, water usage behaviours, prevalence of waterborne disease, barriers to access, and participant satisfaction in four rural fishing communities near Jinja, Uganda which received two different models of water filtration systems installed by non-profit engineering organization Water Missions International. The results of this study indicate: 1) the success of a community-based water intervention is more reliant on the effectiveness and reputation of the personnel managing it than on the model of intervention itself; 2) financial affordability, political climate, and cultural barriers play a much larger role in a household’s ability to access safe water than previously thought, and 3) therefore provide important factors for development professionals to consider that may influence the health impact and sustainability of a safe water intervention.