A Year Later: Improved Crop Yields!

Before we built a second sand dam and shallow well in Kangalu Community, most people had to walk for several kilometers to fill a container with water.

"I had to go fetch water for my family, but I returned home feeling exhausted due to the long distance under the burning sun," said 51-year-old Jessica Mutua Katumo. "I would have to walk about five kilometers to [the] Kasovi surface water [source], which was contaminated because it was shared with livestock that would excrete inside the water. This exposed me and my family to infections like typhoid and amoeba.”

But now that there's a reliable water source close to her home, Jessica no longer has to worry about water scarcity.

“I am now able to get water for cooking and drinking within a short time because the shallow well is close to my home," Jessica said. "I also get more time and energy to focus on activities like tree planting, cultivating kitchen gardens, and crop cultivation. This waterpoint also enables proper hygiene and sanitation (both personal and general) because it offers sufficient water.”

Having water close by has improved everyone's health and outlook, making it easier for them to provide for their households.

“This water point has enabled me and the rest of the self-help group members to get more time and energy to focus on farming, which has led to improved yields," Jessica said. "Hygiene and sanitation at home has also improved and I am no longer exposed to maladies like typhoid, dysentery, or amoeba.”

Jessica at the well.