From Muddy Waters to a Brighter Future!

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Mary Vugutsa. Since then, she and the Khwihondwe Community of 700 residents and teachers have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"Now the entire trip takes less than a minute, and the water flows quickly and cleanly, allowing me to fill my containers without delay. This has made my daily routine much easier and has freed up time for other important activities, like planting crops and selling groceries at our center here in Kamashia!" said Mary.

Before the Spring Protection

Like many in Western Kenya, 50-year-old Mary Vugutsa is responsible for collecting water to meet daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole her time and negatively affected her.

Community children crowd the spring before it was protected.

Drinking the water caused severe consequences. Many in the community suffered from waterborne diseases that created health problems, affecting their daily lives. Limited accessibility also meant people wasted time collecting sufficient water to meet their needs. The difficult journey to collect water sapped their physical and emotional energy, creating roadblocks. For Mary, in particular, the spring stole her peace and often, her family's health.

"Life was tough in the community before the project was finished. Imagine standing in dirty water, mosquitoes buzzing, and small insects biting or stinging just to collect water. We used to wait in line for ages, only to get water from a low-yielding spring that took a long time to fill a container, which made us waste hours waiting in line. The area around the spring was muddy during the rainy seasons, and it was not safe to say nobody liked the way it was," Mary recalled.

Since the Spring Protection

Your generous gift last year was much more than a simple donation; it was a powerful statement about your commitment to this community and Mary’s future. By supporting the water solution, you made clean water an everyday reality, fostering hope for a brighter future.

Mary easily fills her jerrycan.

Reliable and clean water lays the groundwork for improved health, education, and economic possibilities, allowing people to thrive. We frequently hear from those we interview that "water is life!"

Mary's life has gotten much more peaceful!

She shared, "I feel good fetching water. It has become so much easier and safer. I no longer have to stand in stagnant water or worry about insects causing skin irritation. The improved drainage keeps the area clean and dry, and the spring gives a better yield, so the queues are much shorter than before. Now I can collect water [in] less than a minute, and also the water is clean, and I feel confident using it for my family as [it has] really improved our daily lives."

Mary washes dishes confidently with clean water.

Mary glowed as she continued, "Living with clean water is awesome because it gives you a feeling of safety and good health in your daily routine. When families have access to clean water, they can safely drink, cook, and wash, which helps my children grow up healthy and keeps adults in good shape and productive. It's a time-saver not having to hunt for clean water or purify it, so people can concentrate on learning, working, and taking care of their homes. Clean water plays a big part in keeping our surroundings and neighborhoods tidy, which helps everyone stay healthier and feel better overall. Having clean water really makes life easier, more respectable, and opens up a lot of chances."

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Mary and the rest of her community. This is just the first chapter of their story as access to clean water continues to improve their lives!

At The Water Project, we value sustainability and want to ensure that people continue to thrive. We commit to monitoring this project to ensure the water is always flowing and safe to consume. We inspect the system hardware, track water availability, conduct sanitary inspections, and collect water quality samples to identify risks. We work with our team on the ground to resolve them.

You gave Mary a crucial tool for achieving her dreams: access to clean water. Together, we can excitedly expect that with this precious resource, her enthusiasm and courage will help Mary fulfill her dreams.

"With clean and consistent water from the spring my household chores have become easier and take less time which made me be able to start a small garden at home, something I couldn’t have been able to before, now the garden provides grocery products like vegetables, maize, cassava and sweet potatoes for my family and even a little extra that I can sell and also I have cows and pigs that I rear," Mary said.

Mary shared her vision for the future, "I want to cultivate crops like maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, and a variety of vegetables, do mixed farming by also rear animals such as cows and pigs large scale by having more cows and pigs."

Mary tends her farm.