A Year Later: "I love the fact that we have clean water."

Life without sufficient accessible water at Nzoila Secondary School was challenging for students. Although they brought water to school, they still went thirsty most of the day and found it hard to concentrate in their classes.

“Initially, water scarcity affected us so much," said 18-year-old Naomi R. "We used to depend on water from [the] River Kambu. A lot of time was wasted. The delay in water delivery to the school also delayed our school-run [meal] program. You’d find us taking breakfast at noon and lunch at 3 pm. One could be armed with two little bottles of water from home because the water situation at the school was very unpredictable."

But since a large rain tank was installed on the school campus last year, the situation has improved, and there is plenty of water available whenever they need it.

“Now, life has become better. We are able to clean our environment [and] wash our classes and our dishes, too. Food is cooked well and on time nowadays. We no longer have to carry water while coming to school. We have been able to plan well for our studies as we have all the time, and we are less worried about water," said Naomi.

With less worry about finding water, students now have the energy to pour into learning and relaxing.

“As the school president, I love the fact that we have clean water on the school premises. I feel happy when I see students enjoying the water, maybe after playing or after eating. We have been able to increase the duration we stay in the school because water security has been attained. We are focused on excelling in our final examinations," concluded Naomi.

Naomi