A Year Later: St. Marygoret Girls Secondary School

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to build a rainwater catchment tank for St. Marygoret Girls Secondary 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 Betty Muhongo Majani with you.

The academic performance of students attending St. Marygoret Girls Secondary School has improved since the project completed last year.

Before construction of the tank, students wasted their precious time fetching water from a borehole out in the community. Since this borehole was also the main source for the community members, students would have to wait a long time before drawing water  But with water now in the school compound, they no longer waste their time since water is readily available.

Mary Salano

"The school used to have to hire some women to help them get water from a nearby spring during the dry season because even the borehole would run dry during that time," 16-year-old student Mary Salano.

It is also safer for the girls since they no longer have to travel alone to fetch water, Teacher Leah Shisia added. The school had to send multiple students at a time to fetch water, as well as utilize other staff resources to ensure that the girls were OK when traveling to the borehole. Now, they do not have to worry since the tank is on the school grounds. But the real impact here is on learning. The girls stay in class, rather than leaving their lessons to get water. And staff can also focus on teaching rather than fetching water.

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 tank at St. Marygoret Girls Secondary School is changing many lives.

From left to right: Betty Muhongo Majani, Mary Salano, and Leah Shisia

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.