[Vulnerable Communities on The Globeš] #27 Katanga Slum, Kampala Capital City, Kampala District, Uganda
Katanga slum in Kampala capital city in Kampala district is a vulnerable community in Uganda.
Katanga slum is a settlement located in the valley between Mulago Hospital and Makerere University in the capital city. Itās one of the slums in Wandegeya, a neighborhood within the city of Kampala ā Ugandaās capital and largest metropolitan area. The community faces the high risk of flood and poor sanitation and contamination by poor waste disposal.
The Last Natural Disaster
The drainage systems in Katanga have all been blocked by poorly disposed wastes, and this caused endless flooding and poor hygiene in the community. In April 2022, the flood again hit the community. The poor hygiene caused the death of community members due to Cholera, Bilharzia, Malaria, and other diseases in this community. The community has lived under distress for the past 10 years with poor drainage systems with no proper drainage, poor garbage collecting systems, no clean water and worst of all no sanitation facilities. Improved sanitation means the freedom from disasters.
A family in the community during last natural disaster
Kemigisa Grace, 48 years old widow and a peasant from Katanga, lost one of her sons by the flood that happened at night when they were all asleep. To her shock of life, her son drowned to death on his bed inside their house. After this incident, she joined a āāBAD girls groupā as she started losing hope in life and at the same time going hungry. Grace kept falling sick after every heavy rain pours and causes floods. She asserts that the disaster is due to the poor drainage systems, over littering of much garbage, lack or even no sanitation facilities in the surrounding areas.
Graceās story changed when Views from the Frontline (VFL) 2019 project with financial assistance from the EU was introduced in Katanga because she started recycling the solid waste into income generating items like paper, polyethene beads, briquets, energy saving charcoal stoves, organic manure, and so on. Right away the community got relieved from this agony with the inception of the sanitation program. The distress of living within a poor drainage system, no proper sanitation facilities will all become history. Grace now needs her efforts spread to the entire Katanga community and by doing so within 2 years the flood disaster will drastically reduce because there will be less or no garbage disposed by the locals rather they will recycle it.
āāI was the garbage canāāā¦. Grace jokes, My door entry was the very last to the extreme of the 6 tenants and it happened that it was the area where the tenants would pile their garbage.
Basic Information about Community
Population
about 29000 people, 3900 households
Common Income Source
small business
Common Expenditure
buying food and paying bills
Money Needed in Case of Natural Disaster
Money to recover from the damage and to prevent the next damage from the disaster is in total around 40,000 USD. The requested money is going to be used to establish 5 solid waste recycling centers in Katanga where all the youths will be recycling solid waste into briquettes, charcoal stoves, hand woven baskets as a way of creating green jobs for the Katanga youths. It will improve sanitation and eliminate flooding by unblocking the water channels. The funds will also be used to advocate for ordinances and policies from Kampala capital city authority and parliament of the republic of Uganda to introduce and increase the garbage collection centers and trucks. Also, the money will be used to sensitize the Katanga community on proper waste disposal and recycling tips and management.
NGOs working in this community
To know more about DENIVA, check this article in Hedgefy Blog.
