A Year Later: Mwiyenga Primary School

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to construct a rainwater catchment tank for Mwiyenga Primary School 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 Betty Muhango Majani with you.

The school has undergone a face lift thanks to the tank and latrines constructed last year. The old, dangerous toilets were demolished and replaced with new VIP latrines, so now the environment is friendly with no bad odor. The toilets are cleaned on daily basis and student hygiene club members disinfect them regularly.

We spoke with teachers and students at the school about how their lives have changed in the year since the project was completed.

"The school sanitation has improved," teacher Mary Lamuka said. "It is evident by pupils washing their hands after using the toilet."

Mary Lamuka

The school also added a lunch program for class seven and eight students because the school now has safe and clean water for cooking, drinking, and washing the utensils after lunch.

Construction of the rainwater 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 Mwiyenga Primary School is changing many lives.

"Before the water projects were done in our school, we used to spend a lot of time queuing at the toilet but at this moment, we no longer spend much time at the toilet," 15-year-old student Protus Musonye said.

Protus Musonye

"The time we use to spend at the toilet is now converted to serious studies that improve our academic performance."

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.