AfriWatSan held its first team-wide training workshop at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda from 11 to 15 July, 2016.

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Figure 1: AfriWatSan workshop at Makerere University, Uganda

 A key focus of this workshop was the risk posed by on-site sanitation and inadequate community hygiene to the quality of shallow groundwater accessed through wells and springs. Additionally, the workshop provided an opportunity to engage with key stakeholders in Uganda including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Water and Environment, and the private sector. The team was also able to review field research plans including the construction of urban observatories, training needs and equipment procurement modalities.

Key outcomes from the meeting are: (1) a shared understanding of protocols for sampling urban wells and springs generated through field activities in two locations:  Bwaise (Kampala) and Lukhaya; (2) a common set of field and laboratory analyses of groundwater-fed waterpoints; and (3) a common instrument for assessing sanitary risks to urban water quality via WHO Sanitary Risk Surveys that were conducted all teams in Kampala and Lukhaya.

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Figure 2: field activities in  Bwaise (Kampala) and Lukaya