A Year Later: Mahanga Primary School

September, 2018

We used to see the students return home each day for lunch to collect water. Now, there is plenty of water at the school to meet all of the students’ daily needs.

A Year Later: Mahanga Primary School


A year ago, generous donors helped construct a rainwater catchment tank for Mahanga 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 Janet Kayi with you.


Life for students at Mahanga Primary School has improved a great deal over the past year due to the support from The Water Project. We no longer meet the pupils carrying their jerrycans back home during lunch break to carry water from different sources from home back to school.

"Since the project last year, pupils no longer carry water from home every morning and during Lunch break for use in school," headteacher Albert Anjiji said.

"Pupils now have enough time for studies since water is available within the school compound."

Pupils are practicing good hygiene by using the ten steps to wash their hands after visiting the toilet. Children now enjoy sitting in clean classrooms since they have water for cleaning.

"Initially, the boys and girls used to wait in long lines to share the same toilets, but now girls have their own latrines. The school now have feeding program for class 7 and 8 pupils since we have enough water for cooking, washing utensils and clean water for drinking," Anjiji added.

Construction of the rain 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 in Mahanga Primary School is changing many lives.

Ruth Ambia

"After we were trained on good hygiene practice we now love practicing it," 14-year-old student Ruth Ambia said.

"Cases of diarrhea and stomachache are now a thing of the past. I now wash my hands at five critical times. We now have enough water for cleaning our classrooms and toilets."

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.



See The Water Project in Ruth Ambia's Community »

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