Miss Uganda franchise committed to clean water campaign- CEO

Miss Uganda franchise has committed to providing clean water to Ugandans in urban and rural areas.

In a campaign dubbed Clean Water benefit, the franchise will partner with Ugandans in North America under their umbrella, UNAA Causes, to fundraise money to construct water points and sensitize the population against contamination of water resources. 

Speaking about the campaign, the CEO Miss Uganda Franchise, Ms Brenda Nanyonjo said the project will be a long term and aims at running along the franchise theme; “beauty with a purpose.” 

“Our first role is to identify places that are priority for the campaign, those with no access to any clean water for the people to drink,” she said. 

“I would like to call upon the government through its agencies like; National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), respective ministries and agencies to support this campaign.  We are on the same page with government and they can make this even bigger,” she added.

UNAA Causes chairman, Mr James Sserumaga said that the campaign is one of their many projects in which they intend to do for their fellow Ugandans back home.

“Several of our people home cannot access any clean water to drink or cook, we are dying of diseases that are water borne. Despite having a far better life here in the USA, our loyalty is to our country and our brothers and sisters. We are happy to bring clean water to Uganda in partnership with Miss Uganda and any well-wishers,” he said. 

NWSC welcome the idea and commend UNAA Causes and Miss Uganda franchise. However, they insist all is being done towards providing clean water. 

“We have just flagged off a project to extend water to over 12000 villages with a water point per 200 people.  Our water is safe at the meter point, we only advise our customers to boil because we are not sure of their storage containers and pumping systems,” an official from NWSC said. 

Approximately 23,000 Ugandans die each year due to diarrhoea including 19,700 children under the age of 5, who die each year due to the disease. Uganda losses Shs389b an equivalent of about $147 million each year due to poor sanitation and poor water related disease 

Using a fundraising runaway in Las Vegas on September 2, UNAA Causes will raise the first batch of resources to launch the campaign. The runaway is a side event from a four day festival featuring entertainment from Ugandan artistes and Nigerian signing duo P-Square. 

The fashion runway fundraiser will be headlined by Ugandan New York based model Amiito Stacey Lagum and East African beauty queens headed by Miss Uganda, Leah Kagasa. 

Already, T-shirts are being sold via the association’s website to raise money for the Clean Water campaign. Each tshirt will cost a fundraiser $50 (shs 180,000), with all proceeds for Ugandans with no access to clean water.

Also expected to be launched at the four days festival is the Diaspora Entrepreneurship club with an aim of pooling resources for investment in Uganda and USA.