KAMPALA, UGANDA — In a country where more than 30 million people still lack safe sanitation, Uganda’s Ministry of Health is making a bold appeal: it wants citizens, innovators, and institutions to step forward and be recognised for work that is saving lives.
“This is one of the most crucial public health priorities affecting our people,” said Dr. Herbert Nabaasa, Commissioner of Health Services, Environmental Health at the Ministry of Health. “We are focusing on WASH, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, because the burden of disease in this country is closely tied to poor sanitation, unsafe water, and weak hygiene practices. We need to reduce that burden, and part of doing so is recognising and celebrating those who are driving solutions.”
Dr. Nabaasa was speaking ahead of the first-ever WASH Impact and Influence Awards, scheduled for October 3 in Kampala. The deadline for nominations has been extended to August 26, giving individuals, organisations, and communities more time to nominate heroes.
From Scarcity to Celebration
The awards, launched in May by the Uganda Water and Sanitation Network (UWASNET) in partnership with the Ministries of Health, Water and Environment, and Education and Sports, are designed to spotlight champions working in a sector that rarely makes headlines but underpins nearly every aspect of public life.
Backed by the Austrian Development Agency and a coalition of local and international partners, the initiative seeks to transform how Uganda addresses its entrenched WASH challenges by turning attention not just to the deficits, but to those pioneering solutions.
“We want to use these awards as an incentive,” Dr. Nabaasa said. “To showcase innovation, to highlight the best actors, and to raise public awareness in ways that inspire lasting change. This is about technology, financing, research, and lifetime investment. And it is about youth, academia, civil society, and the private sector working together.
A Crisis Measured in Millions
The urgency is stark. Millions of Ugandans still fetch water from unsafe sources or live without basic toilets. The ripple effects stretch far beyond homes: contaminated water fuels cholera and typhoid outbreaks; lack of sanitation keeps children, especially girls, out of school; poor hygiene worsens maternal and child mortality rates; and fragile infrastructure leaves communities less resilient to climate shocks.
“The stakes are incredibly high,” said Charles Opolot, an events consultant with the HAP WASH Promotion Initiative. “The inaugural ceremony promises to be a landmark event on Uganda’s WASH calendar, celebrating champions whose dedication and creativity are transforming lives and communities across the country.”
Spotlighting Innovation and Leadership
The 2025 awards will recognise contributions across seven categories:
- Programmatic Impact: community-based programmes that have measurably improved WASH access.
- Youth-led Initiatives: young people mobilising peers and pioneering grassroots solutions.
- Technology, Innovation, and Financing: new tools, apps, or funding models reshaping the WASH landscape.
- Media Excellence: journalism that influences public attitudes and policy.
- Research and Academia: scholarship that advances WASH policy and practice.
- Lifetime Achievement: individuals whose decades of work have transformed the sector.
“This diversity of categories is deliberate,” Opolot explained. “By recognising excellence in multiple sectors, we are saying: WASH is everyone’s business.”
Beyond One Night
While the October gala will bring visibility, organisers are building a longer-term legacy. Each finalist’s work will be documented and shared as a case study, creating a national repository of evidence-based solutions that others can adapt.
“Beyond the ceremony, the awards will serve as a learning platform and a space for knowledge exchange,” Opolot said. “Documenting and sharing success stories is what will strengthen collaboration and inspire action across the sector.”
A National Call to Action
For Dr. Nabaasa, the awards represent more than recognition; they are a rallying cry.
“We call upon the public, the private sector, academia, civil society, and especially the youth to actively participate,” he said. “This is how we accelerate progress in WASH, by bringing everyone to the table, celebrating success, and building momentum for change.”
With just days left before the nomination window closes, Uganda’s first WASH Awards are shaping up as both a moment of celebration and a national call to action. For a sector too often defined by scarcity and neglect, it may also be something rarer: a chance to recognise hope, ingenuity, and the determination of ordinary people working for healthier, safer communities.
