Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

Project Features


Click icons to learn about each feature.



Community Profile

Back in 1987 when the Kumina Wauni Self-Help Group (SHG) was formed, life was relatively easy. Farmers experienced huge harvests! But in the late 1990s, water in all the main rivers began to dry up, and rainy seasons passed by with no rain. The closest river became Athi, which is more than a 12-kilometer journey. Half the day became fetching water, and there was never enough for fertile farms. Drinking this water also resulted in water-related diseases, and some group members even died.

Kumina Wauni means "to finish thirst." They joined together with us to fight water scarcity by building sand dams on the riverbeds that used to flow with water.

The group has been successful in building some nearby sand dams, which make water accessible by digging holes in the riverbed. However, these holes are open to contamination and are not safe for human consumption.

Water Situation

As rains failed and the rivers dried up, agriculture could no longer support farmers and their families. The community started relying on relief food which was unfairly distributed to families. That's when the overlooked families decided to take things into their own hands, uniting and mobilizing to address water and food insecurity.

Kumina Wauni SHG was thus formed, pledging to bring water back to the dry riverbeds through sand dam technology. As more sand dams are being built, these farmers once again have enough water for their crops. Now, holes are dug in the riverbed by the dam to fetch water for farming, cleaning, and drinking. All who drink this water are continuously subjecting themselves to waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera. They are still in need of clean water from a protected source. They can't find that from an open hole in the ground, but that's just what a hand-dug well with a pump will provide!

Sanitation Situation

Not only is the water consumed by Kumina Wauni members and their families dirty, but so are many homes, facilities, and belongings. Even the water containers are neglected, with green algae growing on the bottom and sides.

We've been working with this group since 2011, though, and have seen great improvements in latrine use. Open defecation is no longer an issue, with 100% of families having their own pit latrine. Most also have their own bathing room for personal hygiene.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Review

Our staff has had a continuous relationship with Kumina Wauni. After assessing the current strengths and weaknesses of sanitation facilities and hygiene practices of this community, trainers have decided to focus on the daily habits that are not yet embraced: hand-washing, cleaning utensils, and using helpful tools like dish rack and clotheslines. Only about half of the community had built dish racks and clotheslines to dry their belongings up off the ground. Our trainers will continue to teach the importance of each practice; they're not just trivial suggestions! There are germ-filled consequences to drying shirts and dishes on the ground.

This training will also be a great opportunity to encourage them about what they're doing right, such as using latrines and composting garbage.

Plans: Hand-Dug Well

This project presents a new technology to the SHG. Our artisans will remain on the site to coach local men and women through construction of their own well, which will be lined with concrete and finished with a new AfriDev pump. This will be located next to the group's first sand dam, which is fully mature with enough water to be safely accessed through a pump.

72-year-old farmer Rebecca Katuvee is motivated by the improvements that came with the sand dams. She told us, "Our work has borne fruits. We were the first community to have sand dams in the area. They have changed our lives! However, we still do not have enough clean water. The shallow well will be used to reduce clean water scarcity."

Project Updates


March, 2024: Project Change in Kumina Waoni!

Projects, like water itself, are fluid.

Sometimes, there are unique circumstances that can neither be resolved nor reversed that turn a well-loved water point into one that has failed to meet the expectations of both the community it serves and our own commitment to help provide access to safe and reliable water.

Unfortunately, this well is no longer meeting the water needs of the Kumina Waoni Community, despite repeated efforts, spent resources, and a lot of patience from the community and our team.

The Water Project, the community members, and local leaders have decided together that decommissioning the well was the best course of action. As a result, we will no longer make monitoring visits here.




December, 2017: A Year Later: Kumina Wauni Hand-Dug Well

A year ago, generous donors helped install a hand-dug well for the Kumina Wauni Self-Help Group in Kenya. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner Titus Mbithi with you.




Project Photos


Project Type

Hand-dug wells have been an important source of water throughout human history! Now, we have so many different types of water sources, but hand-dug wells still have their place. Hand dug wells are not as deep as borehole wells, and work best in areas where there is a ready supply of water just under the surface of the ground, such as next to a mature sand dam. Our artisans dig down through the layers of the ground and then line the hole with bricks, stone, or concrete, which prevent contamination and collapse. Then, back up at surface level, we install a well platform and a hand pump so people can draw up the water easily.


A Year Later: Kumina Wauni Hand-Dug Well

December, 2017

Now I fetch water nearer to my home. It’s easy, less tiring, and fun. I only walk less than one kilometer compared to before when it was only my mum who could fetch water for the family. I feel happy helping my mum get water for the family.

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Kumina Wauni Community.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kumina Wauni Community maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

A year ago, generous donors helped install a hand-dug well for the Kumina Wauni Self-Help Group in Kenya. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner Titus Mbithi with you.


Community members no longer have to walk for more than five kilometers to find water at the Yiu River. There is now a welt home in the village that has been key in providing clean drinking water for this expansive population.

Not only is this clean water enough for the people here, but cattle and other domestic animals get enough drinking water too. This water is also being used for cooking and cleaning, and homes are looking tidier than ever.

Regina Somba, chairwoman of Kumina Wauni SHG

We met the chairwoman of the self-help group, Regina Somba, at the well to talk about how this well has impacter her life. She told us, "Cases of water-related illnesses have significantly gone down as we now have access to clean drinking drinking water which has bolstered our health. Water availability is creating clean homes, healthy for our children and the family at large."

Lucy helping her mother fill a jerrycan with the clean water from the well.

12-year-old Lucy Somba came to the well to fetch a jerrycan of clean water with her mother. She said, "Now I fetch water nearer to my home. It's easy, less tiring, and fun. I only walk less than one kilometer compared to before when it was only my mum who could fetch water for the family. I feel happy helping my mum get water for the family. I have learned to wash my clothes because now mum allows me to use much water unlike before. This makes me stay clean and neat."


The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to four times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kumina Wauni Community maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Kumina Wauni Community – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


Contributors

Data Abstract Solutions, Inc.
ethiopiascrisis.weebly.com
In honor of Shantel Chang
ArtiKen
Save your change to make a change
Sara Aronfeld's Campaign for Water
MTCHS's Campaign for Water
6 individual donor(s)