A Year Later: St. Antony Shijiko Primary School

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to construct a rainwater tank for St. Antony Shijiko 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 Joan Were with you.

With the access to clean water and sanitation facilities, the pupils now enjoy good health and their class attendance has improved. The pupils now practice handwashing after leaving the toilet and before eating. This improvement in hygiene practices is due to the hygiene training that was conducted at the school during the construction of the rainwater tank and latrines last year.

Phillip Sunguti

We spoke with Deputy Headteacher Philip Sunguti about the impact of the project recently and he shared the following story:

This tank has really solved our water issues.

I have been in this school for six years and my heart would pain every morning as I would watch my pupils going to a spring to fetch water for cleaning and drinking. They would come back tired and not concentrate in class. Many of them would get sick and miss a lot of classes.

Since the tank was constructed, the pupils attend morning remedials and the population is increasing gradually. With the water in the tank, we had an easy time hosting students and teachers from regional schools who were attending the District Athletics tournaments here.

Construction of the 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 project in St. Antony Shijiko Primary School is changing many lives.

Students like Churchill Imbenzi spend less time fetching water and more time in class thanks to the tank on the school grounds. The benefits of the tank are spreading across the local community and more parents are sending their children to the school.

Churchill Imbenzi

Now, even more children have access to this reliable water source!

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.