For immediate release: November 23, 2010

Contact: Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter, Project WET Foundation Communication Specialist

Bozeman, Mont.-Aggrey Oluka was fed up with his students getting sick. The head science teacher at Lake Victoria Primary School in Entebbe, Uganda, Oluka had watched in horror as the population of the school plummeted from more than 2,000 to just 400 in the wake of a devastating 2007 cholera epidemic. And cholera was far from the only problem. Students at LVPS frequently visited the school's health clinic-often with stomach ailments-and missed school due to largely preventable illnesses. Oluka was determined to look for ways to improve the situation.

He found the Project WET Foundation, a U.S.-based 501(c) organization that had recently launched a USAID-funded project to create engaging, locally relevant water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) education for African children. Oluka became an integral part of the project, participating in local writing workshops and enthusiastically piloting the materials at Lake Victoria School.

His efforts have paid off for his students-improved health habits such as hand washing and rainwater harvesting have led to a decrease in student illness and absences and an increase in exam pass rates-but they have also touched corners of the continent far from Entebbe. The WASH materials that he helped to refine and test have now been introduced in 15 African countries, reaching some five million African children.

In recognition of Oluka's commitment to improving not only his own community but also the larger cause of WASH in Africa, Project WET last month nominated him for the 2010 AMCOW Grassroots Champion Award. The African Ministers' Council on Water announced last week that Oluka had been named runner-up for the award, a distinction that comes with an honorarium, trophy and certificate that will be presented to him in person this week when he travels to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for special ceremony at the 3rd Africa Water Week.

"The Project WET Foundation is thrilled to join AMCOW in honoring Aggrey Oluka," said Project WET Senior Vice President John Etgen. "He is a true WASH champion and was instrumental in Lake Victoria School's designation as the first-ever Project WET Healthy Habits Model School. With this recognition, Mr. Oluka can continue to impact children in his school and beyond with community-based water and sanitation projects."

About Project WET: Since 1984, Project WET, an award-winning American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has dedicated itself to the mission of reaching children, parents, teachers and community members of the world with water education.

About the Award: The AMCOW AfricaSan Awards are dedicated to recognizing outstanding efforts and achievements in sanitation and hygiene in Africa which result in large-scale, sustainable behaviour changes and tangible impacts. The Grassroots Champion designation honors individuals for their commitment and outstanding contributions to improving the state of sanitation and hygiene and influencing the thinking and behavior of others.