a person washing their hands under an outside tap
Esther Smitheram and Jemma Gilpin - Communications Team at Children on the Edge

Written by Communications Team

November 5th, 2026

This article takes 2 min to read

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Water Where It Matters - Double Your Impact in Karamoja This November

In early 2026, prolonged drought in Uganda’s arid Karamoja region wiped out over 90% of community vegetable gardens, triggering acute food insecurity.

This November, every donation to Children on the Edge will be doubled to drill and repair 11 community-managed boreholes placed directly alongside local growers.

These permanent water points can revive food production, will be maintained by trained local committees and are designed to protect 7,700 people from future climate shocks.

Double my donation
A vegetable garden in Karamoja which has been destroyed by the drought

In Karamoja, north-eastern Uganda, over 74% of families live in extreme poverty, contending with chronic climate shocks. Over the past four years, the communities we work with established 225 vegetable gardens across 20 villages to address this. They put nutrient-dense food on family tables, cut childhood malnutrition, and generated surplus household income to cover school fees and essentials.

A person in Karamoja watering plants in their vegetable garden

One of the established vegetable gardens in Karamoja.

In early 2026, an already harsh climate turned brutal. Prolonged drought decimated 206 of those 225 gardens, wiping out over 90% in a single season.

Between April and July 2026, 32% of the population faced Crisis or Emergency levels of acute food insecurity. Families have skipped meals, diluted local alcohol to dull children's hunger pangs, and children have been increasingly at risk of being trafficked for begging. In devastated fields, young children have often resorted to chewing dry plant stalks to relieve aching stomachs.

A vegetable garden in Karamoja which has been destroyed by the drought

Crops destroyed by the drought

Acute food insecurity during early childhood permanently affects physical growth, cognitive development, and school readiness. To rebuild these crops and protect families from future droughts, communities need to establish permanent water points directly alongside the growers.

"
The problem we have currently in Lopana village is too much sunshine and hunger. Hunger has affected people so much that they have decided to send their children to the streets.

Paulina - Child Protection Team Member
"

CPT member Paulina smiling at the camera

Match Funding Throughout November

This November, you can back homegrown solutions to help families rebuild for good. Every donation made to our campaign throughout this month will be doubled, directly funding the drilling and repair of community-managed boreholes placed right next to vegetable growers.

The initiative delivers 11 reliable water points across high-need villages in Napak District, bringing five broken boreholes back into operation and drilling six new ones. Together, these wells will supply a permanent water source for 1,540 households, reaching 7,700 people, including 4,400 children.

A child outside holding their hand under running water

If funding is secured, work on all 11 boreholes will begin in January during the dry season. This will allow the time needed to transport heavy drilling rigs along unpaved rural roads before the April planting season begins.

Double my donation
a water pipe in the ground with a chain in the forefront of the image

"
We need water so much. If we can have a source built near the homestead here, we will be able to water our crops and reduce hunger. Currently, the hunger situation is too much

Pulukol Elizabeth - Vegetable grower
"

Philip and Elizabeth with two of their children

Why will this last? Investing in sustainable water sources. 

Many water projects in Karamoja have failed in the past, with pumps breaking down and external organisations moving on. This initiative is structured specifically to prevent that cycle:

  • Boreholes are close to the growers. They are drilled and repaired directly adjacent to established gardeners and wider communities.

  • Trained Borehole Committees keep water flowing. Trained residents will manage all newly drilled and repaired boreholes. In partnership with local government agricultural officers, committee members will attend comprehensive practical training to manage routine servicing, oversee water usage, and carry out basic mechanical repairs.

  • Rehabilitating Existing Boreholes: Bringing five abandoned boreholes back to life is a cost-effective way to regenerate existing infrastructure. By coupling these repairs with proper training and ownership, we ensure these restored wells, alongside the six new installations, will keep clean water flowing for decades. 

"
“We used to get water from the pond. This is very far away, but right now even the pond has dried up. There is no way of getting water. The only way we can continue growing vegetables is if someone helps us and puts a borehole in our village.”

Ayeba Phillip - Vegetable grower, Napeilet Village
"

Philip and Elizabeth sitting with Edrine outside their home in karamoja

What your doubled donation can achieve

Edrine talking to members of the community in Karamoja

£250 funds a Community Training Workshop (or £125 matched), equipping locally-led committees with the technical and operational skills they need to maintain and service their village borehole.

Double my Donation

Looking down at a water pipe in the ground

£2,400 rehabilitates a broken borehole (or £1,200 matched), restoring an existing, non-functional well back to full working order for an entire community.

Double my donation
a child turning on a tap outside

£7,500 drills a new borehole (or £3,750 matched), covering heavy-rig drilling and full pump installation to establish a permanent, clean water source in an area that currently lacks one. 

Double my donation

Because your support is matched pound-for-pound this November, your contribution goes twice as far:

Doubling your donation this month delivers lasting, community-owned water infrastructure, revives local food production, and secures the nutrition these children need.

Double my donation today
People in Karamoja watering plants in their vegetable garden

Read more

A garden in Karamoja which has dried up because of the drought

Help rebuild drought-devastated vegetable gardens in Karamoja Uganda

Families in Karamoja, Uganda, are facing severe drought that has destroyed over 90% of local vegetable gardens and cut off vital income for school fees. Children on the Edge is raising funds this November to drill community-managed boreholes, helping parents replant their crops, restore lost income, and keep children safe.
a Child Protection Team meeting in Karamoja, members are sat at desks listening to a speaker

Protection starts at home

In the last 12 months, Child Protection Teams in Karamoja have helped over 6,450 children in their communities. From stopping incidents of trafficking and exploitation to supporting parents with safer ways to raise their children.
A teacher in Uganda sitting with a child passing them a bottle top

Taking Cluster Learning to Karamoja

Children on the Edge is replicating our proven Cluster Learning Model in Karamoja, Uganda, to address critical gaps in early childhood education. We are adapting the model for communities in Karamoja, Uganda's poorest and most remote region. Only 10% of children here have access to Early Childhood Education, leaving thousands without foundational support during the most critical stage of their development.

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