A One Health Social Science Approach to Water Security and Gender Equity in Rural Uganda

Water security is a cross-cutting One Health issue that illustrates the interconnection between the health of people, animals, and the environment within complex social contexts. This One Health Case describes a grassroots solution implemented by the Rural Water Initiative for Climate Action, Ltd. (RWICA), a woman-led Ugandan non-profit organization working to improve water access and build resilience to climate change among marginalized populations. RWICA engaged public and private sector stakeholders with diverse technical expertise and community connections to pair water installation projects with education, training, and community events. We emphasized the One Health message to separate water sources for people and animals to reduce zoonotic waterborne diseases. With community input, rainwater harvesting tanks were installed as stopgap measures at a primary school and at a maternal health centre. Outcomes included improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviours, lowered student absenteeism, and impacts on HIV transmission, risk, and treatment. To further decrease the dependence on potentially contaminated, unimproved water sources, RWICA created a centrally located water kiosk that sells clean water at reduced cost. For sustainability, women-led water use committees (WUCs) were activated to provide kiosk oversight and governance. Earnings from small businesses, including juice stands, vegetable gardens, and hair salons, improved household finances and provided stable revenue for the kiosk, which served over 3000 people in its first year. This case illustrates how a holistic One Health Social Science (OHSS) approach implemented by community service organizations can effectively catalyse change at the individual and institutional levels.Information© The Authors 2023