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Rugarama Sub-county, located in Sheema South, is one of the hardest-to-reach areas in the district, where residents—especially women and children—walk long distances downhill to fetch water
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Sheema
Over 100 families in the villages of Irashagye, Bigona, and Kyamanengyere in Rugarama Sub-county, Sheema District, are set to benefit from clean and safe water following the planned construction of a new water source in the hilly area. 
The project, estimated to cost over Shs200 million, is being funded by Alice and Prof. Geert Haesaert from Belgium through their organisation, Food for Thought.
Rugarama Sub-county, located in Sheema South, is one of the hardest-to-reach areas in the district, where residents—especially women and children—walk long distances downhill to fetch water.
While inspecting the project on Wednesday, Dr. Nicholus Mwebesa, the founder of the Dr. Nicholus Foundation, commended the Belgian team for their compassion toward the people of Rugarama.
“I want to thank Alice and Prof. Geert for thinking about the people of Irashagye who have for a long time suffered due to lack of clean water,” Dr. Mwebesa said.
He urged residents to cooperate with the donors to ensure the success of the project.
“What we want from you as residents is to freely offer land for the water source so that construction can begin immediately. We also require you to provide bricks and stones because trucks transporting these materials cannot access this terrain,” he said. “Please cooperate with the contractors once construction starts.”
During the same event, Dr. Mwebesa, a senior manager at the National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC) and founder of the Dr. Nicholus Foundation, launched two village saving boxes aimed at promoting a saving culture and boosting household incomes.
“As Dr. Nicholus Foundation, we want you, especially women, to be steadfast in improving your household incomes through savings. That is why we have introduced these village saving boxes,” he said.
Each savings box received a Shs200,000 startup boost from Dr. Mwebesa and Sheema NRM flag bearer, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu.
Tackling Malnutrition
Alice and Prof. Haesaert pledged to continue supporting communities in the hilly region by improving nutrition among children and households.
“We plan to provide vegetables to schools and households in Rugarama Sub-county to help fight malnutrition among young children,” they said.
Alice and Prof. Haesaert pledged to continue supporting communities in the hilly region by improving nutrition among children and households
Alice explained that their decision to support Rugarama followed research indicating high levels of child malnutrition in Sheema District.
“We came to help the people of Rugarama because of the high rate of stunting among children, which results from poor feeding and unsafe water,” Alice said.
She revealed that Sheema is among the districts with the highest cases of child malnutrition in Uganda, with about 47% of children stunted.
“Out of three children born in Sheema, two are malnourished. This poses a big threat to the young generation,” she noted.
“In Uganda, one in three children is stunted, but in Sheema District, it is one in two. Stunting affects the brain and overall health of a child, and after the age of two, the damage becomes irreversible. The first 1,000 days are therefore very crucial.”
Alice noted that the issue is not food scarcity but lack of dietary diversity.
“People eat the same foods every day—posho and beans, matooke and beans, cassava and beans. Stunting results from lack of micronutrients, especially greens, fruits, and vitamin A,” she explained. 
Community Grateful
Ahairwe Ronald Nkunda, a resident, welcomed the initiative, saying the water project and savings schemes will transform their lives.
“This project will change our community. Water contributes 85% to people’s wellbeing, so we should use it to improve our lives,” Nkunda said.
