Through Their Eyes: COVID-19 Chronicles with Anna Samuel

This post is part of a series by The Water Project meant to highlight the perspectives and experiences of the people we serve and how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting them. We invite you to read more of their stories here.

Anna Samuel

The last time we spoke with Anna Samuel was a year after her self-help group completed the construction of its second sand dam and hand-dug well.

Anna used to wake up in the early hours of the morning to travel to a riverbed located more than 2 miles away to get water. By the time she got home around 11:00 am, she was tired from the journey and carrying water containers all the way back. This had a significant impact on Anna and her family.

The completion of the project changed that.

The new well is just a few minutes from Anna’s home. Now, fetching water is quick and easy. She shared that her children are no longer late to school because of the time saved by fetching water from the nearby well.

“I am very grateful for this project in our community. I feel very proud to be associated with it,” she said.

But a lot has changed over the past year for Anna and other people living in Maluvyu, Kenya. The Kenyan government closed all schools in March due to COVID-19 and they will not reopen until 2021. Anna’s husband is a teacher, and his job was the primary source of income for their family. Now they must rely on farming to help make some money during this time.

Our team recently visited Anna to conduct a COVID-19 prevention training and monitor her community’s water point. It was during this visit that Anna shared her story of how the coronavirus has impacted her life. Our staff and Anna observed physical distancing and other precautions throughout the visit to ensure their health and safety.

Watch below to hear from Anna herself:

The Water Project is working to support people like Anna by ensuring that each water point is functioning correctly. Access to water is crucial in the effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We also know that communities benefit from access to safe, reliable water year-round, regardless of circumstances.

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.