Responding to WASH Needs to Disaster-Striken Communities in Bulambuli and Mbale Districts
The Mt. Elgon sub‑region of Eastern Uganda is highly vulnerable to climate induced disasters, including floods, landslides, mudslides, hailstorms, and soil mass movement.
In late August 2025, the region experienced intense and prolonged rainfall, triggering flash floods and mudslides that led to the bursting of several riverbanks.
The disaster caused widespread destruction of homes, submergence and damage of water and sanitation infrastructure, displacement of families, and major disruptions to livelihoods across Mbale City, Mbale, Butaleja, Bududa, Namisindwa, Manafwa, Bulambuli, and Sironko districts.
Rapid assessments conducted by District and City Disaster Management Committees, with support from humanitarian partners including Oxfam indicated that over 5,883 households and more than 17,434 people were affected or displaced, with three recorded deaths, over 78 severe injuries, destruction of more than 770 acres of agricultural land, and extensive damage to WASH facilities, schools, and road networks.
Oxfam in collaboration with Mbale and Bulambuli district local governments responded to the emergencies
Working closely with local leaders, community structures, and district authorities, with support from Oxfam Great Britain, Oxfam supported villages and households most affected by the crisis in Mbale and Bulambuli districts.
Vulnerable families, institutions, and individuals were identified through a community-led process that prioritised those with the greatest needs.
Institutions and households received essential WASH support, including access to safe water, dignified sanitation facilities, hygiene items, water storage containers, water treatment supplies, and improved solid waste management services.
Continuous community engagement on hygiene and sanitation practices also helped families adopt safer behaviours and prevent further public health risks.
Restoring Dignity, Rebuilding Hope: Menstrual Hygiene Support in Bunambutye Resettlement Camp
In 2024, devastating landslides swept Nambuya Agnes’s home in Makoba village, Kisubi parish, Sisi subcounty, Bulambuli district, forcing her and her family to seek refuge in the camp.
Already vulnerable, Agnes also bears the burden of single parenthood after her husband abandoned the family years earlier.
““Life here has not been easy,” Agnes explains. “As women, we lack basic sanitary items like buckets, knickers, and pads. This makes it very difficult for me to manage my hygiene, especially during my menstrual periods.””
Like many women and girls in emergency settings, Agnes faced significant challenges managing her menstrual hygiene with dignity.
Limited access to appropriate materials, combined with overcrowded and shared sanitation facilities, exposed her to loss of privacy, discomfort, and stress.
Through Oxfam’s WASH emergency response, Nambuya Agnes, a 45-year-old mother of eight, is a resident of Bunambutye Resettlement Camp in Bulambuli District.
Agnes received a dignity kit containing essential hygiene items including a bucket, lesu, reusable sanitary pads, a pair of knickers, bar soap, and a cloth bag.
“The support has helped me. I can now manage my hygiene as a woman in a dignified way. The reusable pads have especially helped me during my menstrual periods. I feel more comfortable and confident”
The provision of dignity kits not only addressed immediate hygiene needs but also restored a sense of self-worth and confidence among vulnerable women like Agnes. With these supplies, she is better equipped to navigate the challenges of camp life while maintaining her personal hygiene safely and with dignity.
Agnes’s story is one of resilience in the face of compounded hardships. The support received has not only improved her hygiene practices but has also given her renewed hope and reassurance that she is not forgotten. She wants to educate her children so that they can become successful in life. “Education is the only gift I can give them so they can have a better future than mine.” She says with hope.
Agnes is among the many women impacted by the WASH intervention, which continues to play a critical role in improving the health, dignity, and well-being of disaster-affected communities in Eastern Uganda.
“These interventions did not reach Agnes alone. The distribution of 20 dignity kits benefited 20 women in Bunambutye resettlement camp. Through hygiene promotion interventions, Oxfam reached to 5,600 people, including 2,912 women and girls and 2,688 men and boys with hygiene awareness and behaviour change messages delivered through Village Health Teams.”
Across the communities, families began adopting safer hygiene practices, strengthening efforts to prevent disease outbreaks and improve household health.
The distribution of 200 safe water storage jerrycans benefited approximately 500 people (240 males and 260 females), helping households safely collect and store water while reducing contamination risks along the water chain.
In schools, health centres, and public spaces, 15 non-contact handwashing facilities created safer and more hygienic environments by promoting regular handwashing and reducing the spread of communicable diseases.
Additional support through cleaning materials and laundry soap further improved environmental sanitation and infection prevention within households and community spaces.