Choosing a beneficiary of AP and GDPU’s Wash Project has thrown us for a loop. Prior to my arrival here in Gulu, I had been informed that the school on the receiving end of the project would be Saint Martin Lukome Primary School. The school was due to receive the Wash Project in 2021 by previous fellow Anna, however, with the COVID pandemic and the lockdown, the project was unable to go ahead as planned. Within my first couple of weeks in Uganda, we made a visit to Saint Martin Lukome but were unimpressed with what we came across.

Prior to our visit, we had organized a meeting with the head teacher to reconfirm our dedication to the school and providing them with the much needed toilets. However, once we arrived, the head teacher was nowhere to be seen. This caught us by surprise as we had anticipated that the head teacher would be ecstatic to receive the Wash Project, however, we had come to realize why the head teacher did not prioritize our visit… they had just received new toilets but had failed to disclose this information to us.

No one to be found within the head teacher’s office

The next day we made a visit to the DEO office where we conveyed what we had come across and requested to work with a new school. After looking at the list, the two schools that were most in need of toilets based on the toilet to student ratio were Panyikworo Primary and Awach P7.

The newly built toilet at Saint Martin Lukome Primary School

After visiting both schools and meeting with both head teachers, we decided to select Awach P7.

While both schools were in need, Awach P7 has an enrollment of 1,400 students and a mere 10 toilets, five for boys and five for girls. With maggots crawling around the toilets, feces covering the walls, and unbearable smells coming from the toilets, we realized the immense need of the school and the students, inspiring us to tackle this project.