The Village Project Britomart is a community initiative that supports the work of The Village Project, which runs humanitarian projects in Uganda.

In August 2012, six members of the Britomart, Waiheke and Titirangi Village Project teams travelled to Uganda for three weeks to roll out the latest phase of an ongoing rain-harvesting project.

On this trip, the team built four water tanks for a new babies’ home, founded by Ugandan child care ministry Watoto to house abandoned and orphaned infants.

Drawing on rainwater collection expertise from Waiheke Island, the project included the training of local Ugandans in the construction of their own rainwater collection systems. The model is designed to be implemented across the country, leaving villagers less reliant on wells and less vulnerable to drought, famine and disease.

The initiative is part of The Village Project’s ongoing work with Watoto, which helps rebuild the lives of orphaned children and vulnerable women devastated by war and HIV. New Zealand initiative The Village Project was founded in 2008 and is now Watoto’s sole rain-harvesting partner.

Time and practical support

The Village Project was founded in 2008 by Waiheke resident Emily Parsons and has now completed four successful projects in Uganda. These have included building a Watoto children’s home, constructing two classrooms and pioneering the new rainwater collection model.

The Village Project Britomart team was established in 2012 by members of local businesses Material Creative, Westpac New Zealand and Cooper and Company. Its focus is on lending time and practical support to the planning and implementation of these ongoing humanitarian projects.

“We’d love more people and businesses at Britomart to get involved,” says Emily. “All we ask at this stage is that you register your interest and we’ll keep you in the loop about what you can do to help.”

Register your interest for more information

The Village Project time-lapse film

The Village Project on 3News

The Village Project's latest rainwater-harvesting mission was also featured on 3News on Friday 12 October – watch the news clip here.

View Facebook album of 2012 Uganda trip
Visit The Village Project website
Visit the Watoto website