A Year Later: Kalenda Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a rainwater catchment tank for Kalenda Primary 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 Joan Were with you.

Despite being a primary school with playful children, the tank is well-maintained and the drainage system is very clean. The students now practice proper handwashing after visiting the toilet, and this leads to improved health.

"Right now we are really enjoying using the new facilities in school," Teacher Alice Sasaka said.

"Before the rainwater harvesting tank was constructed, we would face a hard time ensuring that the school is clean. Our students would waste a lot of time fetching water from a community pump."

Cleaning is quick now, thanks to the rainwater catchment tank at the center of school grounds.

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 at Kalenda Primary School is changing many lives.

"We now have more time to study and we also learn in a clean environment," 14-year-old student Jackyline Ngome said.

Jackyline Ngome

"Since the water tank was constructed, we have water to clean our toilets and classrooms every day."

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.