Project implementation:
About the project
This project empowers women fish processors in the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi Basin, Uganda, to become leaders in freshwater stewardship. Through training them as “Water Quality Champions,” the project enables community-based water quality monitoring, pollution mapping, and advocacy. It directly addresses water pollution and poor sanitation that threaten community health and livelihoods. A key focus is ensuring women’s voices are included in local water governance dialogues, complementing ongoing IUCN work in the region. The project will demonstrate practical, community-led solutions for ecosystem restoration and inclusive water resource management.
Key objectives
- Build the capacity of women champions to monitor water quality and identify practical, community-led solutions to pollution and poor sanitation.
- Increase community awareness of the link between water quality, fish safety, and livelihoods, promoting best practices.
- Advocate for women’s formal inclusion in local water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and fisheries management planning.
This project is part of the BRIDGE (Building River Dialogue and Governance) initiative grants: Gender Mainstreaming Grants / Women Leadership Grants. The BRIDGE Grants aim to address barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment in transboundary water governance. The grants support practical actions to strengthen inclusive institutions and promote women-led solutions for managing and restoring freshwater ecosystems. BRIDGE is made possible through the Water Diplomacy Programme of the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC).
