Resource Center Lake Victoria, like many other East Africa’s significant water bodies, faces serious ecological pressures occasioned by incessant and destructive human activities. Consequences for these unabated activities are dire and are beginning to threaten the very livelihood of the people, unless some concerted measures are taken.
The EAAG and the Un-HABITAT have agreed to work closely in creating awareness around Lake Victoria, East Africa’s largest fresh water source under the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Initiative LVWATSAN. UN-Habitat in association with the East Africa member states initiated this programme to address water and sanitation needs of poor communities in the secondary towns around Lake Victoria. As a common resources shared by the 5 countries, LVWATSAN has consolidated efforts of respective government and civil society in ensuring improved access to water and sanitation services in the project areas, functional and gender focused arrangements for sustainably managing and monitoring the rehabilitated systems, institutionalized capacity building programmes to regularly update the capacity of stakeholders, and a contribution to the reduction in pollutant loads entering into the Lake Victoria. This is the second phase of the initiative which will target 15 secondary towns in all the five East African Countries and will include investments in water supply, environmental sanitation, urban drainage and capacity building aimed at achieving the millennium development goals for water and sanitation and contributing to the reversal of pollution of Lake Victoria.
The initiative provides an opportunity for local Grantmakers to contribute towards collaborative efforts targeted at providing capacity building for the region to manage its water resources, while at the same time protecting the Lake environment on which the region depends for survival.
Hopefully when this agreement is finally signed, UN-Habitat and the EAAG will jointly host forums that will provide a platform for local Grantmakers to engage and generate ideas around Water and Sanitation Initiatives, discuss existing opportunities for Grantmakers to support training and capacity building initiatives around the lake Victoria Basin and hopefully generate possible partnerships among the varying forms of philanthropy in the region to maximize funding capacity. In addition, the partnership will aim to document the role of local Grantmakers in promoting better Water and Sanitation programmes, strengthen collaborations and examine community involvement in capacity building programmes.
