The Water Project That Healed a Health Center
How many times have you felt sick and thought, “The only place I can get well is the hospital”? I walked to Mugai Health Center with confidence.
The moment I entered the compound, the first thing I saw was a beautiful, well-kept borehole. The water point was clean. A community member was fetching water, and you could see the contentment on her face. The whole environment was neat.
As I walked toward the customer care desk, the doctors, nurses, and caregivers had already arrived. Everyone was smiling. Even the patients in the queue didn’t look defeated by pain.
It made me think back to 2024. The last time I visited, there was no water on site. Staff depended on a rainwater tank that ran dry, and someone had to be paid to walk half an hour to fetch water from a spring in a neighboring community. Keeping the place clean was nearly impossible. This time was totally different.
The warm reception made my visit comfortable. Every room I entered was clean. The patients were calm, and despite their pain, you couldn’t see it on their faces.
What the Midwife Told Me
I walked to the delivery room. The first thing I noticed was the smell: it was good. A midwife was washing linens with plenty of clean water. When I moved closer, she whispered,
“Thirty minutes before you arrived, a woman delivered here. And as you can see, we’ve already cleaned everything. I enjoy working here now.”
That melted my heart.
Before this facility had a water project, the challenges were dire. Mothers would deliver and then be told to bring water from home. Some were sent home to wash themselves and their soiled clothes.
It was not good, and it was not acceptable. Why should a mother suffer for bringing life? Why should a child suffer at the very moment of seeing the world?
Clean Water Changes Everything
Today, sanitation and hygiene are at an impressive level. I visited the new latrines, and they were sparkling clean. Right outside, there was running water and soap for handwashing.
The doctor told me he no longer reaches for sanitizer every time he attends to a patient. Patients are comfortable washing their hands after treatment. Medicine is administered properly because there is clean water to take it with. Meals for staff and admitted patients are prepared well and on time.
Clean water is the gift that unlocks everything good: good health, good education, a good life, better opportunities.
A Reason to Stay
That was confirmed when I visited the pharmacy. The shelves were full. The doctor saw my smile and nodded. “Are you surprised, Jackie? Nobody wanted to be posted to a facility where you fetch your own water. Now they do. And a fully staffed facility gets taken seriously when supplies are handed out.”
Then he said something I’ll never forget:
“I no longer pray for a transfer from this facility. I pray for the strength to stay and take good care of my patients and this facility.”
That was sweet to hear.
The water point serves both the health center and the surrounding community, so families now access clean, safe water for their homes too. Staff told me that typhoid and diarrhea, once the most common illnesses they treated here, have dropped sharply since the borehole went in.
At Mugai Health Center, this water project has brought life in abundance. Clean water is a simple gift. But here it has unlocked safe births, healthier children, staff who want to stay, and a stronger community.
This is what happens when compassion meets action. This is what happens when we choose to invest in life.
See the full impact report for Mugai Health Center, including photos and monitoring data:
thewaterproject.org/community/projects/kenya/new-borehole-wash-project-410194
“Field Notes” written by Jackie Chelagat
Impact Communications Officer
The Water Project
Other blogs by Jackie:
Tweet