A Year Later: Bishop Sulumeti Girls Secondary School

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater catchment tank for Bishop Sulumeti Girls Secondary School in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – and we’re excited to share this one from Faith Muthama with you.

The students and the school staff members now have access to safe, clean drinking water for use in the school from their tank. Before, the school used to strain a lot to find enough water.

We spoke with school principal Sister Jane Amuokye and student Lourine Muguni about how things have changed over the year since the project was completed.

"The water tank really helps us, the students, to get safe water for drinking, water for washing our utensils after eating, bathing, and water for cleaning our classrooms," Lourine said.

Before this project, there were no reliable latrines for the girls. Now they have six high-quality latrines that are well-managed and provide a sanitary space for the girls and the staff.

"We used to have an insufficient number of latrines, but now we have enough for the students to use and we are very grateful," Sister Amuokye said.

Construction of the tank is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project is committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by donors like you, allows us to maintain our relationships with communities by visiting up to 4 times each year to ensure that the water points are safe and reliable.

This is just one of the many ways that we monitor projects and communicate with you. Additionally, you can always check the functionality status and our project map to see how all of our water points are performing, based on our consistent monitoring data.

One project is just a drop in the bucket towards ending the global water crisis, but the ripple effects of this project are truly astounding. This tank in Bishop Sulumeti Girls Secondary School is changing many lives.

"Since the project was done last year, it has brought order and also it has assisted on the grooming of the students in the school," Sister Amukoye said.

"The water from the tank really helps the boarding students during cleaning and washing of their clothes and the kitchen staff for cooking purposes."

This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, our local teams, the community, and you. We are excited to stay in touch with this community and support their journey with safe water.

Read more about The Water Promise and how you can help.