A Year Later: Maluvyu Community

A year ago, generous donors helped build a sand dam and hand-dug well for Maluvyu 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 Joe Kioko with you.

Collecting water for people living in Maluvyu Community used to be time intensive. People walked as long as 2 hours to get to the nearest reliable source of water, wait 30 minutes in line, and then walk home for another 2.5 hours (it is a lot slower carrying all that water back!). That 5-hour journey is now a story of the past, thanks to the new sand dam and hand-dug well system.

Katheu Muema

"I used to get extremely tired from the trek to and from the nearest water point, but this has now changed because we have a well nearby," Katheu Muema, a young girl from the community, said.

The proximity to water has also helped families grow kinds of vegetables that they never imagined were possible to plant in this arid region.

Construction of the dam and well 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 well and dam in Maluvyu is changing many lives.

"The project has enhanced unity among the community members because we work together more often at the vegetable garden," Laureen Mooki said.

Laureen Muoki

"Water from the shallow well has enabled us plant tree seedlings at a communal nursery jointly managed and run by all members of the local self-help group from which we share and plant seedlings in each rainy season at our farms."

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.