A Year Later: Katuluni Community

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to construct a sand dam and hand-dug well for Katuluni Community in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local 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 local team member Lilian Kendi with you.

The sand dam and well system has greatly improved the living standards of these community members. The water table has increased immensely, with lots of sand along the riverbed.

"I love my life now. I enjoy fetching water because the distance I cover is very short," said Rachel Fundi.

Rachel is using the water to make soap that she then sells to local schools. She says that the money she earns has helped her family.

Construction of the dam and well are 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 project in Katuluni is changing many lives.

"The greatest change observed so far is the improvement of hygiene and sanitation. Most homesteads of both members and non-members have installed latrines, thus alleviating the culture of open defecation," said Mary Nzoka.

The members attest to having improved their general hygiene and sanitation. The presence of water has also helped in boosting cleanliness in their homesteads as most of them installed tippy taps near latrines. Some members have also started domestic farming for the first time due to the easy water access.

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.