Deposit Protection Fund donates 20,000-litre water tank reservoir to TERREWODE Women’s Community Hospital, Soroti – June 2, 2023

Access to clean and reliable water continues to be a challenge for many people in Uganda and around the world. It is widely acknowledged that women, especially mothers, faced with obstetric fistula conditions bear the burden of accessing clean water. The Association for Rehabilitation and Re-orientation of Women for Development (TERREWODE) is a Women’s Community Hospital in Soroti city that fully appreciates the importance of having clean and reliable water. The hospital is one of the two in the country that is solely dedicated to and specializes in the management of obstetric fistula conditions. This medical specialization necessitates a consistent supply of water to ensure optimal care for the patients.

This was the premise upon which the Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda, through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, supported TERREWODE’s request for a water reservoir tank. The 20,000-litre capacity water reservoir tank was commissioned by Mrs. Julia Clare Olima Oyet, the CEO of the Deposit Protection Fund of Uganda (DPF) on June 2, 2023 at the hospital. The highly anticipated event was attended by Soroti District officials, Board members, Management and staff of TERREWODE, DPF staff and some members of the beneficiaries.

Mr. Patrick Ezaga (Director Communications) – fourth left and Mrs. Julia Oyet (DPF CEO) – fifth left, share a light moment with the TERREWODE team and the Soroti District leadership, after commissioning the water tank reservoir.

Mrs. Oyet noted that in health facilities especially, patients and their attendants are faced with the burden of accessing sufficient, reliable, safe and clean water. She added that DPF was particularly aware that this situation is compounded for women with the fistula condition which requires sufficient and reliable water to enhance their hygiene. Mrs. Oyet observed that the donation was therefore a reflection of the Fund’s unwavering commitment to contribute to humanity.

From left: Mrs. Alice Emasu Seruyange (TERREWODE Executive Director), Mr. Simon Peter Ekuu (LC V District Chairperson – Soroti) and Mrs. Julia Clare Olima Oyet (PDF Chief Executive Officer), participated in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting to mark the commissioning of the water reservoir.

The water tank, worth UGX 37,888,000, has the capacity to collect, store and provide a sustainable source of clean water for drinking, cooking, and sanitation purposes. DPF’s intervention was timely as it came on the heels of the commemoration of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) campaign to end obstetric fistula come 2030 which is marked every year on May 23, 2023.

Mrs. Oyet (front row-from left) listens to Dr. Mary Amono (right), during a tour of the facility.

Mrs. Alice Emasu Seruyange, the Executive Director of TERREWODE Women’s Community Hospital appreciated DPF for supporting the facility. She reported that the facility handles an average of 10 surgeries per week and provides treatment to nearly 100 patients on a monthly basis. She further noted that although the facility gets water from National Water and Sewerage Cooperation, they often experienced shortages whenever supply would be interrupted due to various reasons.

Mrs. Alice Seruyange while addressing the guests.

“We are grateful to DPF for this generous and very important donation. Obstetric fistula is a condition whose management requires a lot of water, both in the ward and the operating theatre. “With the capacity of this tank, we shall be able to store adequate water during periods of water shortage”.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Simon Peter Ekuu, the LC V Chairperson of Soroti commended DPF for the gesture, acknowledging that the Fund had made a well-timed and appropriate intervention in the right place.