A Year Later: Mang'ang'a Spring

A year ago, generous donors helped build a spring protection and sanitation platforms with the community near Mang'ang'a Spring in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Samuel Simidi, with you.

The spring has been well maintained and in good working condition. The environment is clean -  an indicator that the villagers are observers of good hygiene and sanitation except for a few members who are still struggling.  Since the spring was protected, the community members have not witnessed any member being sick because of taking spring water. Time wasted is now a thing of the past as villagers are now able to draw water efficiently and safely.

Community member Antony Mugasani is eager to share all the positive changes since the water project was installed. “1: community members have been able to save on time while at the spring. 2: our members have been able to observe proper sanitation and hygiene compared to those days when hygiene was never taken seriously. We do have some of our members who do not have toilets or a basic facility. We are encouraging them to try and build one.

“I have been able to observe personal cleanliness,” boasts 14-year-old Ziporah Buguza. “There have been many positive impacts like my performance has improved. This is because I have been able to devote much time in my studies and also I learned more information on hygiene and sanitation training.”

The staff will continue doing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the project is in good condition and serving the community as expected. We will plan more WaSH training to help this community with hygiene and sanitation as well.

The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.