The Water Project

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Butere Girls High School

Photo of Butere Girls High School

Project Snapshot

Country: Kenya

GPS Coordinates:
  Latitude 0.237064
  Longitude 34.494123

Impact:
  Total Served: 1200

Status:  Completed (What's This?)

Completion Date (or estimate): 07/15/2010

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A new well is being dug for a Girls High School in Western Kenya.

This very large school has had multiple water systems in the past, none
of which has proven reliable.  At one point they had access to piped
water, but that has since gone dry.  There is simply too little supply in and
around Butere anymore.  The school attempts to collect rain water when
available, but it is far too little to serve the nearly 1,200 students
and 120 staff members.   Many times, they simply have to send the girls
to a nearby stream that is unsafe and dirty.

As you can imagine, proper sanitation and hygiene is essential at a
school, especially a girls school.  Having ready access to reliable
water will allow the infrastructure in place at the school (some toilets
and a shower) to once again be usable.  The tanks which now sit empty
(seen below) will once again be full of clean, safe water.  This will
have a huge impact.

By re-establishing this school's water source, these girls will have a
far greater chance to succeed and help their own communities continue to
grow out of poverty.

Latest Update:
9/8/2010 - Well Complete - Report and Pictures Added
7/20/2010 - Drilling in Process - Pictures Added
7/19/2010 - Community Education in Process - Picture Added


Project Photos


Project Updates

Butere Girls High School Well Completed

Sep.08.2010

The water project at the Butere Girls High School in Kakamega, Kenya has been completed. It will serve over 1,200 students and 120 staff members.

Our implementing partner wrote of the dedication ceremony… (edited for clarity)

“The handing over ceremony at Butere Girls school was very colorful as you can see from the photos. We did the handing over while Board of Governors had a meeting in school.

The Anglican priest read from the book of Exodus 1:13 about the importance of water to human life.

The Head-mistress thanked Bridge Water Project for the water supply in the school. She was very grateful that now the students will be clean and they will concentrate on studies and she expects that the results will improve. She said that she expects the relationship between Bridge and the school to continue.

One student also thanked us for the water and promised that their standards (grades) will improve since they now have water available at their school. They will try hard in their studies to excel.

The District Officer of Butere thanked Bridge Water that the water given to the school is a gift of life to the students and the entire school fraternity and the community. He encouraged the students that hard work and discipline in their education is an investment in their future. The entire community of Butere were very thankful to the donors of The Water Project for what wonderful work they are doing to save the lives of millions of people by providing safe drinking water.”

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Country Details

Kenya

Population: 39.8 Million
Lacking clean water: 43%
Below poverty line: 50%
Climate: Varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Ethnic Groups:Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Life Expectancy: 57 years
Infant Mortality Rate: 55 deaths per 1000 live births

Partner Profile

Bridge Water Project

This small, indigenous well drilling NGO uses small pick-up truck mounted drill rigs to build new shallow wells in Western Kenya.

BWP staff and crew were originally trained by David Hansen, a retired water engineer from California. David visited Kenya, saw a need, and then recruited and organized this team. He got them equipment and trained them how to use it. He also trained them how to manage their new business.

Today they are drilling at least one well per week. They work in communities they know and help mobilize them. They are able to return and fix broken parts. They are committed to seeing their own people changed when clean water comes.

Implementer

Bridge Water Project

A local Kenyan well drilling NGO


Program Summary


Wells for Kenya

Clean water changes lives. Girls return to school. Women begin small businesses. Men are no longer too sick to work. Fields are watered and food supply becomes more reliable. Health returns and children grow up to be productive members of their community. The cycle of poverty is broken. Lives change.


"When water comes...everything changes." That's what our driver told us as we drove from town to town in Kenya. And we see the change every time a new well brings clean water.


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Project Data




A new well for a school in Western Kenya

Project Type:  Hand Pumped Well

Location:  Butere Township, Western Kenya

Depth:  0.00



ProjectID: 418