Stories from the Field
As we work to provide water, we're committed to helping people like you meet your global neighbors and to realize that we all share the same basic needs. We hope to break down stereotypes and the false distinctions between the so-called winners and losers, rich and poor, the needy and charitable, by introducing you to the people we serve with the respect and admiration they rightfully deserve.
These are stories of hope, told in the words of those who carry out this work every day - our friends in the field.
A Year Later: "Girls feel comfortable in school"
Life for students at Masoila Roman Catholic Primary School used to consist of spending inordinate amounts of time collecting water from a source off their school campus because the nearby well needed to be rehabilitated. As a result, students were exhausted and missed valuable learning time. "We were not having sufficient, safe water for drinking ...
A Year Later: "It serves the community well"
Alie B., a 15-year-old from Bofi, described what life was like before the well in his community was rehabilitated last year. "Before this project was completed in my community, it was a great challenge for me as a child living in a community without [a] sustainable drinking water facility," said Alie. "This water point was functional, but it [ran...
A Year Later: "I am really happy about this project."
Last year, students had to waste their lunch and recess time trekking 30 minutes away to a local river for water. “Before, sincerely, life was hard," explained 40-year-old teacher Victor Mutisya. "We expected little or no rainfall. This pushed us to look for water from [the] River Manyanzala, which is one kilometer away. The pupils would rush to...
A Year Later: No More Danger!
The people of Machemo used to get their water from a slippery, algae-ridden spring dug into a swampy area. Normally, kids fetch water for families in Kenya, but in Machemo, that was impossible. "We [kids] rarely used to get water here because the spring was in a bush and was a hole, so our parents felt it dangerous for us," nine-year-old Melvin A....
A Year Later: Better and better!
The students at Lutali Primary School used to share water sources outside their school campus with community members. Collecting water took lots of time and effort, and the water often made them sick with water-related illnesses. "Before we got the borehole, we used to go and fetch water from a river nearby. A lot of time [was] wasted in search of...