POUL DUE JENSEN FOUNDATION WATER attractive and numbers of children attending school are increasing, while controversies among the women and rates of domestic violence are falling. The reduction in domestic violence is ascribed to the improved water supply and to the fact that the women do not spend as long time away from home as they used to. Challenges for the project For Seniors Without Borders, the project has also been seen as a learning process in democracy and the benefits of making decisions together in the local community. Time and time again during the meetings with the water committee and the locals, Seniors Without Boarders has stressed that it is up to them to make all decisions concerning operations, water prices and pay. This is a hurdle which is yet to overcome. Seniors Without Boarders has also experienced first-hand the lack of trust which permeates the Ugandan society. From top to bottom. They are used to corruption and to not trusting their neighbours. This has been apparent in the dealings with the water committee. The local community is convinced that the water committee will run away with the money, and people do not believe that the funds are safe in a bank account, even though several people, including the local Seniors Without Borders representative, have to sign for any money to be withdrawn. They also mistrust the technology to some extent. What happens inside the machinery? This became obvious when some of the water dispensers stopped working while people were collecting water. They had to take out their cards and start again. Most people are convinced that the dispenser steals some of their water credits. It has not been easy to convince them that they will get the water they pay for. No more and no less. Furthermore, Seniors Without Boarders have looked into the cause of the problem. It would seem that the battery is not being sufficiently charged. As the problem arises specifically at the beginning and end of the day, it may be due to the solar panels not being sufficiently powerful. The pricing of the water has also been a challenge. The locals have been able to collect their water in the swamps for free, and they have difficulties accepting that they now have to pay for it. The fact that the savings are going towards future servicing and maintenance seems to be an abstraction in a farming community. When Noola Nakiipa was taken on as a vendor, she was given a mobile phone by Poul Krøijer from Seniors Without Borders. She had never had one before. She was given the phone, so that she would be able to contact two administrators every time she needed more credits on her vendor card. It was also to prepare for a system where all payments can take place using mobile pay. A fun sequence of events ensued: She contacted Seniors Without Borders' representatives to ask about Poul's family background. As she said: "I've now been married for many years, and my husband has never given me a mobile. Then a mussongo (white man) comes along and gives me a mobile". However, it has been tricky getting the mobile pay solution to work. This means that a system administrator has Ribbon-cutting ceremony Photo: Poul Krøijer to physically go and see the vendor to transfer credits and collect cash, which can lead to theft. There have been no problems with malicious damage to the system in Nabikeeto. Unfortunately, we have not been as fortunate in Nangeye, another area where a similar system has been introduced. Here, some local people who make their living selling water from other sources, have smashed up the water pipe a couple of times. This case was reported to the police. Some very creative locals also found a way of causing the water tower to overflow, allowing them to collect the water in wash basins for free. It has been a learning process with several unexpected challenges. Sometimes frustrating. But we should not forget that the health of the population has been improved, it has made life easier for the women, and rates of domestic violence are down. Seniors Without Borders has started a democratic process. And in 2017, the system really proved its worth during a protracted period of drought, during which the swamps dried out. With enough water for both plants and animals, a serious famine was prevented. 15
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