WaterCarts: making water collection safer and easier.
One City’s most empowering year-round programs are the WaterCarts and Agricultural Training. We focus this training on women as they are typically the farmers and the water fetchers of the family. One City employs expert agriculturalists who conduct a 6-week basic agriculture training focusing on aspects like the timing, yield quantities, most effective drought and soil preparation methods, and much more!
Upon graduating from the 6-week training course, graduates receive a certificate and more importantly, an OCM WaterCart! OCM designed our WaterCarts with a focus on helping women navigate the rocky roads and long hauls almost everyone has to make to safe water sources! Prior to receiving a WaterCart, a typical Ugandan woman might walk as far as 4 miles a day to fetch clean, safe water for her family. The distance these women walk is just their first challenge. These journeys take hours, and full cans of water can weigh as much as 50 pounds, placing immense stress on their bodies and causing various related health issues. The significant time away women spend from their children, small fields/farms and shelters also makes these water journeys very disruptive to everyday village life.