A Year Later: Igogwa Community

A year ago, generous donors helped Igunza Spring for Igogwa Community 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 Samuel Simidi with you.

Since the installation of the project, the community has experienced many positive changes in terms of health and hygiene. These positive improvements have been brought about by the health and hygiene training that people were taken through, and also the clean water and sanitation platforms they received.

"The community is benefiting in so many ways," Water User Committee Chairman Bernard Elegwa said.

"Our children and mothers are now able to access the water point much easier since now we have stairs that leads them to the collection point. Before the protection, we used to hear of people slipping while trying to access the water point. This was especially common during the rainy season."

Bernard Elegwa

Completion of the spring 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 spring in Igogwa is changing many lives.

"Before the installation of the project, we used to waste a lot of time going to fetch water. That took away time for my studies," 17-year-old student Phoebe Mbone said.

Phoebe Mbone

Time wasted collecting water has become a problem of the past. Community members, including Pheobe, collect water quickly and spend their time on other activities. For Pheobe, that means more time for studying.

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.