AFRDA Water Resilience Program

Keep water within reach.

AFRDA is building a digital system to monitor community water sources, respond quickly when they fail and show supporters what their contribution makes possible. The work is already underway in Moroto District and is designed to grow across Karamoja.

The water challenge sits inside a deepening food and livelihood crisis.

673,000

people facing Crisis level food & water insecurity or worse

40%

of the Karamoja region in IPC Phase 3 or above

118,000

people facing Emergency outcomes in Karamoja

A broken water point affects the whole community.

In Karamoja, public water sources support households, schools, livelihoods and livestock. When a borehole stops working, the effects travel far beyond the pump itself.

01
Water access is interrupted

Families must find another source, often farther from home and already serving other communities.

02
Time and household pressure increase

Longer collection journeys take time away from school, care, work and other daily responsibilities.

03
Livestock face greater risk

Pastoral households depend on reliable water sources to keep animals alive and protect their livelihoods.

04
Food production becomes harder

Dry spells, crop failure and limited water for production deepen the pressure on household food supplies.

05
Existing investment is lost

A water point that could be restored remains unused while the community continues to face the shortage.

The Moroto Baseline

220

recorded deep boreholes require attention.

AFRDA’s current district baseline records 423 deep boreholes. Of these, 203 are functional and 220 are recorded as non-functional. The supplied district water access indicator is 47 percent.

This is where the program starts: turn a static record into an active maintenance and response system that helps water points return to service sooner.

432

deep boreholes recorded

48%

recorded borehole functionality

60,022

people reported as served

9

Moroto area records

A response system built around working water points

The program connects community reporting, field verification, repair teams and public updates. Each part shortens the distance between a breakdown and a working source.

Report

Community members notify AFRDA when a water source breaks down, including through planned USSD and SMS reporting.

Verify

A field officer confirms the location, condition, urgency and likely repair requirements.

Mobilise

The repair team is assigned with the tools, spare parts and technical support needed for the job.

Repair

Mechanics restore the source, test its function and record the completed work.

Show the result

The platform updates the status and makes repair information visible to communities, partners and supporters.

AFRDA’s initial service goal is to restore a reported broken borehole within a maximum of one week, then reduce response time as local teams and resources grow.

7 days

Initial Repar Target

Start local. Build the system. Grow responsibly.

The program is designed to move in practical stages, learning from Moroto before expanding the model across the region.

01

Strengthen the baseline, verify water points in the field, establish reporting channels, organise repair workflows and build a dependable local maintenance team.

02

Apply the tested model district by district, with field officers, trained mechanics, shared data and coordination with communities and local authorities.

03

Build local engineering capacity, maintain spare parts and equipment, and pursue suitable solar pumping upgrades where technical assessment and funding allow.

04

Work with communities, local leaders and partners to explore regulated solar irrigation for local food production, with safeguards for water use, groundwater, soil and the surrounding environment.

Fund the system that keeps water flowing

AFRDA welcomes foundations, humanitarian agencies, companies, public institutions and individual supporters who want to strengthen practical water resilience in Karamoja.

Support water point assessment and repair

Help finance field verification, technical assessment, spare parts, transport and the work required to return broken sources to service.

Equip a local repair team

Support trained mechanics and engineers with the tools, parts and operational resources needed for a faster response.

Build community reporting and monitoring

Help develop the digital platform, field data tools, USSD and SMS reporting, notifications and public accountability features.

Co-fund district expansion

Partner with AFRDA to take a tested Moroto model into more districts while strengthening local ownership and government coordination.

Help turn water point data into working water

Your support can help AFRDA build the monitoring, repair and accountability system needed to keep community water sources functioning in Moroto and, over time, across Karamoja.

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