Resolving Conflict: Bugoto
July 29, 2014
Thanks to the management of the safe water committee, the children of Bugoto, Uganda will grow up with safe water access.
In the case of the safe water solution in Bugoto, Uganda, our staff needed to do the latter. One year after their safe water solution was commissioned and officially handed over to the safe water committee, trouble was brewing. This fishing community had embraced their new safe water. “Those of us who are using safe water are happy and moving forward in life,” one community member smiled when asked about the solution. “We are doing well and looking healthy.”
But while community members loved the safe water solution, the safe water committee had come under scrutiny. A group of young, college-educated men were “making a lot of noise” in the community and accusing water committee members of “eating” and misusing project funds (i.e. stealing). The ringleader of the group had even called our office in Uganda and argued that he was more qualified to be on the water committee than the current members because he had a college degree. He went as far as trying to get local government representatives to replace the safe water committee.
Water Missions International designed and installed a customized safe water solution for Bugoto.
Because we’d been supporting the community of Bugoto and working with their safe water committee, we knew that they were not misusing any money. We feared this conflict had broken out because this individual had seen the success of the project and, realizing that they were collecting and banking money, wanted in on it.
When the water committee asked our staff for help resolving this conflict, we suggested that they hold a public audit of their financial books. The safe water committee invited three independent auditors, including the individual accusing them of stealing, to review their financial records. At a public meeting, the auditors independently reported the project's monthly water distribution and income totals and detailed expenses (down to the detail of purchasing a padlock) for every month, as identified from the committee's records. All entries were verified with certified bank statements.
At a public audit, the safe water committee of Bugoto proved they were responsibly managing the project.
At the end of the meeting, the water committee was found to be missing ~$40 USD. The water committee members said that this was a result of minor errors in their records and they offered to pay the difference out of their own pockets. The meeting concluded with the accuser making a public apology and stating that he believed the water committee to be trustworthy. It was amazing to see the conflict resolved so smoothly.
We praise God that in the midst of such accusations, peaceful resolutions came to this community. The safe water committee in Bugoto continues to do well, managing their safe water solution responsibly. In fact, as of September of last year, Bugoto had the highest cost recovery of all of our safe water projects in Uganda, earning enough income to cover day-to-day expenses and put money in the bank to replace the solar pump, solar panels, and all water treatment equipment at the end of its lifespan.
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