SANITATION: EACOP boosts Masaka institute with new facilities

Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP) Ltd., the company spearheading the development of Uganda’s crude oil export pipeline, has this week opened new and refurbished lavatory and ablution facilities at Mummy’s Institute of Beauty Design and Commercial Studies with the aim of enhancing the girl-child learning environment at the institute.

The new constructed structures include toilet blocks with thoughtfully designed interiors with optimal ventilation, lighting, and privacy to meet the needs of female students. A shower block, aseptic tank, and water tank installations to ensure reliable sanitation and water access—set within a well-landscaped environment.

Mummy’s Institute is a vocational school offering hands-on training in beauty, design, and commercial studies. Focused on empowering vulnerable youth who have dropped out of formal education due to financial barriers, the Institute trains students in hairdressing, tailoring, catering, bakery, metal fabrication, plumbing, motor vehicle mechanics, welding, and construction. Under the EACOP Livelihood Restoration Programme, the Institute has welcomed and trained more than 200 youth Project-Affected Persons (PAPs) from Kyotera and Sembabule in various vocational skills, enabling them to launch income- generating activities.

In alignment with EACOP’s sustainability priorities—Youth Empowerment and Community Health & Safety—and global Sustainable Development Goals including: SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation and SDG 5: Gender Equality. “This project isn’t just about building—it’s about belonging, learning, and opportunity. By aligning with the global goals of Quality Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, and Gender Equality, EACOP’s intervention reinforces its commitment to shaping empowered communities.” Roise Burungi, Social Performance Manager, EACOP Ltd.

“We are thrilled to see these vital facilities completed,” said Jesca Nyikira, Director Mummy’s institute of Beauty Design and commercial studies. “These upgrades not only protect our students’ health and safety but also promote their dignity and enable uninterrupted learning—especially for girls, whose education can be impacted by inadequate sanitation.”

This project exemplifies how targeted infrastructure investments can bolster educational access and wellbeing, particularly for marginalized youth. EACOP remains committed to delivering tangible, community-centered development outcomes throughout the project’s footprint.