Water project in Tongolo, Uganda
More than two billion people worldwide do not have sustainable access to clean drinking water. Global crises such as climate change, as well as regional conflicts, further exacerbate the problem, making it one of the deadliest dangers of our time for many people. At Hopeland, we want to contribute to solving this problem. We carry out projects designed to ensure that people in Uganda have reliable access to clean drinking water. We also support school education by implementing infrastructure projects, such as building new schools, and by promoting teachers training.
HOW CAN I HELP?
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Your donation or support will enable many people to have access to clean drinking water and school education.
DESCRIPTION of Project No. 1
The plan is to construct a new school building in Tongolo, Uganda, with capacity for approximately 170 pupils. A single-storey, elongated rectangular structure is to replace a dilapidated tin shack. This tin shack was originally intended as a temporary solution and, due to a lack of funds, was of poor structural quality from the outset.
Floor plan: approximately 36m x 8m
Hipped roof, ridge height approximately 5.50m
The primary school, which is attended by approximately 340 children, is located directly next to the newly built drinking water supply, the construction of which took place from 1 November 2025 to 31 January 2026.
DESCRIPTION of Project No. 2
Extension of the drinking water distribution network.
Ditch depth 70 cm to 100 cm; ditch width approximately 35 cm
The spacing between the water intake valves varies and averages approx. 50 m.
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Length of the green route: approx. 420 m
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Length of the red route: approx. 900 m
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Length of the blue route: approx. 720 m
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Yellow, dotted route: Stony, rocky, unsuitable
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Following evaluation: Implementation of the green and blue routes
USE OF RESOURCES
How the donations are used
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Purchase of material, hand machines and tools in Switzerland and Uganda
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Transport costs, containers etc.
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Renting construction machinery in Uganda
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Blackboards, chalks
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School desks and benches
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Laptops and printers for teachers
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Salary for local workers
(approximately 8.- Fr./day per worker)
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Simple food and accommodation for the volunteers during the project
What does each volunteer contribute?
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Holidays / free time
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International travel, plane ticket, domestic travel
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Vaccinations, update travel documents
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Documenting the mission / possibly giving presentations / helping to find staff (experts / help staff from Europe)
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All help to find donors (companies and private individuals)
VOLUNTEERS
For this project we are looking for committed, reliable and well-trained volunteers who think in a solution-oriented way and want to make a difference with their efforts. The work assignment is expected to take place in the year 2027 and it will last three to four weeks. It is possible to work on site for a shorter period of time.
We are looking for the following volunteers:
Sanitary fitter EFZ
1 person
Vacant positions
Cook
1 person
Vacant position
Auxiliary workers
1 person
Vacant position
Team leader
1 person
Position already filled
Medical care
1 person
Vacant position
Local workers
15 persons
Vacant positions
Sponsors of the Water Project 2025
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Beosolar GmbH, Spiez
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Baumat AG, Wichtrach
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Christian Nussbaum AG, Spiez
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Contec AG, Uetendorf
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Elektro Gyger AG, Adelboden
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Elektro Hunziker AG, Thun
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Frutiger AG, Thun
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Holzim Schweiz AG, Holderbank
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Kissling + Zbinden AG, Allmendigen
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Kirchgemeinden
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Kreis + Partner AG, Aarau
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Privatpersonen
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Raiffeisenbank Gürbe, Belp
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Revotool AG, Uetendorf
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Ribuna AG, Interlaken
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Schmid Hütten GmbH, Schlattingen
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Schneider Holzbau Heimberg AG, Heimberg
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Senn AG, Oftringen
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St. Galler Stadtwerke, St. Gallen
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Swiss Pump Company AG, Thun
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Tools for Life Foundation, Frankfurt
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Tschopp Holzindustrie AG, Buttisholz
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Wenger Fenster AG, Wimmis
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Zaugg Bau AG, Allmendingen
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Zaunteam Spahni AG, Laupen
PROJECT AND TEAM LEADER for Project No. 1
The project was designed by Muwanguzi Umaru. As an experienced headteacher, he is expected to commission a local construction company to build the school building. The construction company will draw up the building plans and organise the materials, including transport. Markus Wüthrich will support Muwanguzi in this endeavour.
PROJECT AND TEAM LEADER for Project No. 2
The project was designed by Markus Wüthrich. As an experienced civil engineer with basic craft training in (bricklayering and carpentry), he will carry out the construction planning, recruit the staff, organise the material including transport and lead the team on site. This will ensure that decision-making channels are short and that the donations are used in a targeted and efficient manner.
Current status of the water project in Tongolo – December 3, 2025
The water project in Tongolo is making great progress. At the beginning of November, the first group of seven volunteers from Switzerland traveled to Uganda to start construction together with seven local workers. At that time, there was no infrastructure whatsoever: sleeping was uncomfortable and personal hygiene was difficult. From the outset, the project was characterized by intensive physical labor: Long, narrow ditches, in which water and electricity lines will later be laid, were dug by hand with shovels and pickaxes. The concrete for the foundations was mixed with two hand mixers. Work is carried out six days a week, starting at 7:00 a.m.
In the meantime, more volunteers from Switzerland have arrived and some went back home. Our volunteer team now consists of eleven people. The accommodation is simple but well organized – with a dormitory, a camping shower, and an improvised kitchen.
A lot has happened on the construction site in a short period of time:
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The water tower is completely finished.
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Almost all the ditches – a total of just under 1 km - have been dug. An average of four to five people worked on this for twelve days.
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The solar power system is under construction.
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The laying of the water pipes and the installation of the electrical control system are now beginning.
We are delighted with the rapid progress made and the excellent teamwork across the entire team. The warm feedback from the residents of Tongolo is particularly motivating. A few days ago, for example, a woman from the village came to the construction site, interrupted our team leader as he was working, and thanked him repeatedly for this valuable project, which will improve the quality of life for all residents of Tongolo in the long term. All of this is only possible thanks to your donations. Without them, we would not be able to improve the lives of the people in the village.
Current status of the water project in Tongolo – 31 December 2025
The water project in Tongolo continues to progress very well. Our project manager and two other volunteers from Switzerland have now been working on site for two months. Some volunteers have returned to their home, while new ones have joined the team. Our team currently consists of six volunteers and five local workers.
In recent weeks, further important milestones have been reached on the construction site:
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The solar power system has been completely finished.
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The concrete work is almost complete. Since the start of the project, a total of over 48 cubic metres of concrete was used, all of which was processed by hand.
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Work on the fences is now beginning.
Just in time for Christmas, a very special success was achieved: for the first time, water flowed from the taps. There is probably no better Christmas present than seeing the smiles on people's faces when they fetch water. Since then, around 12,000 litres of water have been used every day and around 500 people are currently benefiting from the new water supply. The number of beneficiaries – and thus also water consumption – is increasing day by day.
The volunteers' accommodation also benefited from the progress of the project. A garden shower with pleasant water pressure now provides more comfort, and thanks to the solar system, electricity is available in the kitchen at all times.
Despite the great progress made, there is still some work to be done. The two most important next steps are the construction of wooden roofs for the two pump houses and the completion of the fences. We are looking forward to the coming weeks with motivation and confidence.
for about 150 people
Patients and staff of a hospital
60 m³
Capacity of drinking water reservoir
2 months
Construction time
Project completed in Mandritsara, Madagascar, in 2017
for about 150 people
patients and staff one hospital
60 m³
drinking water reservoir
Contents
2 months
construction time
for about 150 people
patients and staff one hospital
2 months
construction time
60 m³
drinking water reservoir
Contents
for about 150 people
patients and staff one hospital
60 m³
drinking water reservoir
Contents
2 months
construction time
for about 150 people
patients and staff one hospital
2 months
construction time
Project completed in Tongolo, Uganda, in 2025
60 m³
drinking water reservoir
Contents
A water supply system was built for 2,000 people in the village of Tongolo in Uganda.
Two new groundwater pumps draw drinking water from a depth of around 100 meters to the surface and pump it up to a water tower. A free-standing solar panel system with an output of approximately 12 kWh supplies the electrical energy required to operate the pumps.
The capacity of this plant is 48,000 litres per day, with the average person using approximately 5-10 litres of water per day this is more than sufficient for the people of Tongolo. To ensure the longevity of this system, we made sure that high-quality, durable materials were used in this project.
A nominal fee is charged per litre of water, this income will be used to co-finance minor repairs of the system.
CONTACT FORM & CONTACT PERSONS
Christine and Markus Wüthrich
Nurse, STS AG, Thun
Civil engineer, Kissling + Zbinden AG, Thun
Auweg 50
3627 Heimberg
079 913 85 00
Susanne and Martin Frey
Member of grand municipal councillor Spiez,
house wife
Head of project management, Wenger Fenster AG, Wimmis
Breitenweg 70
3700 Spiez
079 279 46 64
BANK DETAILS
Spar- und Leihkasse Frutigen AG
Dorfstrasse 15
3714 Frutigen
IBAN no. CH89 0878 4045 5168 6717 3
Hopeland Ministry, 3700 Spiez
MAP
Information for donors:
The Hopeland Ministry association is tax exempt. Donations can be deducted from your tax return.
© 2023 «Water project in Tongolo, Uganda»