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CREATING SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVED WATER QUALITY AND
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN KAPEEKA, UGANDA COVE: Children’s Outreach and Vocational Education (COVE) Alliance is a non
-profit organization that works to provide social services such as food, shelter,
and education to children in the community of Kapeeka, Uganda in order to pro-
vide further opportunities for the community’s youth to exit the poverty cycle.
RSO: The COVE Alliance Illinois chapter is
a registered student organization that serves
as a catalyst for spreading awareness, provid-
ing support and raising funds for COVE.
LINC: The Learning in Community (LINC) program offers the ENG: 315
course, in which students provide meaningful service through conception, devel-
opment, and implementation of projects in collaboration with non-profits and
community partners to address community needs both locally and internationally
BACKGROUND
WATER QUALITY
Problem Definition:
Students learn of the cur-
rent water situation on the
COVE campus in Uganda,
and are informed that the
students were falling sick
from water-borne illnesses
Research Conducted:
LINC students create a biosand imple-
mentation plan that includes:
Extensive research on biosand filters
and local filter providers
Methods of testing water and appro-
priate water testing
kit
Educational materi-
als for the COVE
students and staff
Deliverables Produced:
LINC students and staff visited Uganda to im-
plement the biosand filters on COVE Campus.
Over the duration of three weeks:
Workshops regarding clean water and filter
construction were conducted with COVE staff
COVE students and staff construct 22 filters
for the school and health clinic
The LINC team conducts training on filter
maintenance and use of water testing kits
Community workshop hosted to spread
knowledge on the importance of clean water,
sanitation and filtration options
Problem Definition:
Students conduct an initial
site assessment of a 50-acre
parcel of land that COVE
currently owns. COVE stat-
ed that the land is currently
under-utilized and faces en-
croachment from the sur-
rounding local population.
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT
Research Conducted:
LINC students conduct research on land as-
sessment and agriculture:
Create digital maps of the agriculture plot
Research tree borders and other visible
markers to protect land from encroachment
Consult with horticulture
specialists and local farmers
to determine the trees that
best serve as a border
Deliverables Produced:
Students created a plan for agricultural cul-
tivation including:
Soil quality testing procedures
Land-clearing procedures based on con-
tact with other NGOs and farmers
Types of crops grown in the region with
sustainable yields
Elevated boxes to enhance crop yield by
mitigating the effects of soil erosion and
nutrient
depletion
COVE Alliance Illinois Chapter is
organizing a trip to Uganda to com-
plete the necessary follow up on the
biosand filter implementation dur-
ing Summer 2015. Students plan to:
Collect quantitative and qualita-
tive data of filter effectiveness, wa-
ter quality, and current disease
rates
Host additional educational work-
shops for the COVE students and
staff
Create a case study from the data
collected on the trip
Begin the land development of a
tree border around the agriculture
plot
Analyze soil quality and terrain of
the plot to provide crop recom-
mendations
Initiate a pilot project involving
the elevated box crop plots
FUTURE STEPS
Presenters: Kris Ramadurai, Mary Rosen-
winkel, Kelsey Schreiber, Katie Wiseheart
Special thanks to COVE Alliance NGO,
Frank Ruder, Valeri Werpetinski and
Shikhank Sharma.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Fall 2012 Spring 2013 Summer 2013 Fall 2013 Spring 2014