Sabata Primary School

Project Snapshot

Country: Kenya

GPS Coordinates:
  Latitude 0.883510
  Longitude 34.907372

Impact:
  Total Served: 500

Status:  Completed (What's This?)

Completion Date (or estimate): 01/02/2012

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This information was provided by our partner IcFEM

Sabata K.A.G. Primary School

The school is attended by 800 pupils and is located in Trans-Nzoia West district, part of the most fertile 17% of agricultural land that is famously known as the ‘bread basket’ of Kenya. Unsurprisingly this area is densely populated as many people moved into the region to take advantage of the excellent opportunities for growing food. As with many areas of Kenya, maize is the staple crop grown by the small-scale subsistence farmers who form the majority group in the area, with beans the other principle crop and others breeding livestock for meat and dairy products.

3 shopping centres – located around the main road running through the area – provide the focus for microenterprise activity, but manual labour work provides the major way of raising income in the area alongside farming.

Following the violence which followed the controversial elections in 2007, a number of displaced families and individuals were temporarily settled in Kiminini. The majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have returned to their former areas of residence, but some families and individuals remain in the area.

Charles Khisa Ngwangwe – the pastor of the adjacent K.A.G. church – uses water from a seasonal shallow well, from which water is available whilst the water level is higher during rainy season. As is the typical situation for most local households, the women are the principal gatherers of water although some girls are also responsible for fetching the water for their household. Charles expects that there will be many benefits from the project, such as;

• Clean water for domestic use
• Improved farming during the dry season
• More water for livestock
• A reduction in water-borne diseases
• Extra time available for the household where once they would have been searching for water
• Reducing hunger due to higher yields from the crops
• Better environmental conservation – local tree nurseries will be able to provide better stock allowing more trees to be planted and to flourish

Mary Mayende of Sabata K.A.G. Primary School expressed her gratitude for the project, which will serve not just the school but more than 14 villages which surround the site. She says that the total number of people to benefit from the project will be approximately 10,000, and that the project will be a big relief to the big local population which has been lacking clean water. 

GPS is approximate

Project Photos

Recent Project Updates

01/03/2012: Hardware complete at Sabata!

Great news coming through from Kenya, where IcFEM have confirmed that water is flowing at Sabata. The team completed the hardware installation over the past few days and the community now have access to an improved water source! This has been a real effort, and there have been many challenges along the way, but it is a delight that the pump s now installed. 

12/21/2011: Test pumping at Sabata

IcFEM have sent through confirmation that test pumping has been completed at Sabata. This is another important step towards completing the hardware phase of this project. Now that test pumping is complete the team can move ahead and construct the concrete well pad. We'll be posting news of that and any other developments in the coming days.  

12/19/2011: Flushing at Sabata

IcFEM have been in touch to say that work has resumed at Sabata after a considerable delay, and that the borehole has been flushed in preparation for test pumping and construction. This is the second time this well has been flushed, but there were some question marks over the standard of the previous work done, and so it was decided that we repeat the process to ensure the source is developed properly. The two photos show the flushing in process, and we expect news of test pumping and construction later on this week - just in time for Christmas!  

10/05/2011: Project Update at Sabata Primary School

IcFEM have completed the community education, and report a great response from the community and a real improvement on the ground. Hygiene and sanitation has been a focus of this education, but IcFEM have also worked through ideas relating to water source management and sustainability. 

The borehole has been drilled, and it has a great yield, suitable for either a submersible electric pump or a simple handpump. We are so happy to be able to report this! 

However, during this time there have also been some logistical issues with the District Water Office in Western Kenya relating to the paper work required. Ourselves at TWP, the contractor we hired for the borehole drilling, and IcFEM are all working hard to push these issues through, and hope to be able to complete this project soon. We will update this page just as soon as we have agreement on the best way forward. 

08/22/2011: Sabata Primary Update

I've just been sent this update from the field: 

Empowering Local Health Trainers

With excitement growing about the prospect of clean water for the villages surrounding Sabata Primary School, IcFEM brought together local community health representatives to receive training in good practice relating to sanitation & hygiene. The sessions took place over 3 days, with each person receiving the training being tasked to return to their villages and share the information with their neighbours and friends. In addition to accessing clean water through the borehole, this educational work will further reduce the levels of avoidable sickness to improve the lives in the villages around Sabata Primary School.

05/03/2011: Sabata Primary - Update
This project is one of ten that form a ten project programme with IcFEM and Water For All.