Joy Enjoys Learning and Playing Now!

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Joy. Since then, she and the 375 students and teachers of Matende Primary School have had access to clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"I love fetching water here because it's faster, hygienic, and it doesn't take away my energy or waste my time."

Before the Well Installation

Like many school children in Kenya, 9-year-old Joy is responsible for collecting water to meet her daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task consumed her learning time and had a negative impact on her.

Last year, children collected water from a tank that was too small and quickly ran dry.

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 Joy, in particular, it lessened her opportunity to keep up in school, stay healthy, and play with her friends.

"When the rainwater tank dried up, I used to fetch water from a protected spring, which was quite far from school. This used to make me tired because the terrain is not easy to navigate, especially for young kids like me. Oftentimes, I would soil my uniform in the process of carrying water over the long distance," recalled Joy.

"The steep terrain made it impossible to carry a bigger container, and that meant I had to make several trips to the spring, leading to wastage of time," said Joy.

Since the Well Installation

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

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!"

"I haven't suffered from any water-related illness in the past year. That's largely due to the availability of clean and safe water at school. Now that fetching water doesn't steal my time, I can play with my friends, help around our home, and most importantly, finish my school assignments," celebrated Joy.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Joy 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 Joy 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 Joy fulfill her dreams.

"Living with clean water keeps me healthy, hydrated, and helps me to focus on the important things in life, like pursuing education. Having more time for studies has really helped to improve my performance. I'm posting better grades than last year," said Joy.

When we asked Joy what she dreams of for the future, she had no trouble clearly stating, "I'd love to be a doctor when I grow up so as to take care of the members of my community who may be having health challenges." With continued access to safe water, we have confidence that her dream is closer than ever.

Joy waters the school garden.