A Year Later: Walibese Spring

November, 2017

It was still clear that the health and hygiene content delivered during the community engagement training bore visible and lifelong fruits. People were observed washing their containers before collecting water, just to stress a point on proper water handling.

A Year Later: Walibese Spring


A year ago, generous donors helped build a spring protection with the community surrounding Walibese Spring in 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, Erick Wagaka, with you.


The community members have developed a new sense of belonging upon the successful construction of the protected spring and the provision of sanitation platforms to five needy households. The reliable water point has given a new pride and honor to these people because they can now discuss other developmental issues such as sensitizing the community on gender emancipation. The boy child can now agree to be sent to the spring point unlike before where girls alone could be seen taking several trips to collect water for household use. The construction of five sanitation platforms triggered the majority to think positive about improving their makeshift latrines upwards along the sanitation ladder.

“The outbreak of waterborne diseases is now a thing of the past after the protection Walibese spring,” shares caretaker Janet Vihenda. “This means that the community is now healthier and richer because their cumulative expenditure on medication has gone down. The available water at one's disposal has also improved our self-image as a community and put us in good books with the public health personnel.”

“I really enjoy coming to the water point to collect the sparkling, clean and fresh water,” says 13-year-old Clinton Akibaya. “Before the spring was protected, it was a task left to girls alone to collect water for household use. Our main scapegoat as boys was that, it was so shameful to form long queues with girls and women to scramble for the dirty water together. However, after the protection, most people were convinced that development is a collective effort that requires both girls and boys. I cherish our spring and it gives me an improved self-esteem because I know am drinking water from a safe source. The same water helps our animals and is also used to cook the food we eat and to do laundry work every day.”

The water user committee together with the spring users have preserved the spring point very well. At the time of visit, the spring was discharging at 13 seconds to fill up 20 liter jerry can. Despite the challenges of accessibility due to the bad terrain leading to and from the spring, the community had managed to control soil erosion around the spring area. It was still clear that the health and hygiene content delivered during the community engagement training bore visible and lifelong fruits. People were observed washing their containers before collecting water, just to stress a point on proper water handling.


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.



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