This story was written by CuratEast as part of their engagement with IUCN through the BRIDGE Gender Grants Programme.
Along the shores of Majanji Landing Site in the Sio-Malaba ecosystem, a small water testing kit has become more than a scientific tool. In the hands of the Water Champions, it represents responsibility, knowledge, and hope.
Like many landing sites across the region, Majanji continues facing growing environmental pressure from pollution, poor waste disposal, shoreline vegetation destruction, and unsafe practices such as washing directly from the lake and pouring detergent-contaminated water back into it, disposing of fish waste in the water, using the shoreline as a toilet, and the use of harmful chemicals for illegal fishing activities threaten both the lake and the livelihoods that depend on it.
Today, however, women are leading a change by example.
Known as the Water Champions, groups of women from Nalyoba, Maduwa, and Majanji landing sites have been trained and equipped to protect the lake through community-led water governance initiatives supported by the Uganda National Women's Fish Organization (UNWFO) (UNFWO) in partnership with IUCN through their Swiss funded Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) project.
Since February 2026, 30 women across the three communities have been trained in environmental conservation, sanitation, biodiversity protection, waste management, and sustainable lake practices. Many have also gone on to mentor other women in their communities, expanding awareness from household to household.
As part of the training. the women have been equipped to use portable water testing kits to monitor water quality. These kits help detect indicators such as pH levels, nitrate and phosphate concentration, chlorine presence, and other signs of contamination.
"They taught us how to test whether the water is healthy or not," explained Mrs. Asina Siraja one of the Water Champions from Majanji. "If we find anything unusual, we report it to the district."
Most of the women have spent their entire lives by the lake and understand how deeply their futures are tied to its health.
"If the lake is destroyed, then even our lives and businesses are affected." explained Mrs. Asina Siraja
All images are courtesy of CuratEast.
Beyond water testing, the initiative has helped shift attitudes within the community. Residents are becoming more conscious about keeping the shoreline clean, people are beginning to understand the dangers of dumping waste into the lake, and discussions about protecting water sources are becoming widespread among community members and local leaders.
"The job of the Water Champions is to ensure people understand how to protect the lake and keep it clean," Mrs. Asina Siraja shared. To lead by example, the women sometimes move around the community cleaning the lake and explaining the importance of keeping the environment clean."
At many landing sites, women are closely connected to the lake economy through fish processing, trade, food vending, and household responsibilities tied to water access. Yet they are often excluded from environmental decision-making.
The Water Champions initiative is helping change that.
In Majanji, women are not only participating in conversations about conservation they are leading them. Their work demonstrates that water governance is not only about policies and institutions, but also about empowering communities to take responsibility for protecting their environment.
As the sun sets over Majanji Landing Site, fishing boats continue to move quietly across the water while life along the shoreline carries on.
For generations, the lake has sustained communities across the Sio-Malaba ecosystem. Protecting it now requires more than dependence on its resources it requires stewardship.
Their story leaves behind an important reminder: conservation is strongest when communities themselves become part of the solution.
