Water Matters

The latest on our work and those supporting it



Changing Doubt Into Belief: Why Our Commitment To Clean Water Matters


Friday, April 24th, 2020by Shannon Esrich

Please note, all photos in this story were taken before physical distancing recommendations went into effect. Mr. David Murumbi lives in Shivembe in Western Kenya, where he is the landowner of Murumbi Spring. Mr. Murumbi has lived in Shivembe for the past 48 years – since he was born – and has drunk water from his […]

 

In Kenya, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Are Essential Services During COVID-19 Pandemic


Friday, April 17th, 2020by Shannon Esrich

Daily access to safe and reliable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) facilities are vital to building healthy and resilient communities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, WaSH services are more essential than ever to help prevent and mitigate the spread of the Novel Coronavirus. It is for that reason that the Kenyan government has deemed our work […]

 

How we are prepared for COVID-19 in Sierra Leone


Thursday, April 9th, 2020by Tom Murphy

Sierra Leone has just 7 cases of COVID-19, but our teams have already taken a series of proactive steps to support communities as they prevent the spread of the virus and ensure that our wells are reliable and safe. Before the first reported case in the country, our teams visited each of our wells to […]

 

Goodbye Closure Notice, Hello Education: How Water and Latrines Keep Schools Open


Friday, April 3rd, 2020by Shannon Esrich

In Kenya, many schools are constantly on the lookout for the dreaded closure notice from the Ministry of Public Health due to the schools’ challenges with water, sanitation, or hygiene – and sometimes all three. Kipchorwa Primary School in Western Kenya was no exception. Its 400+ students were relying on dirty stream water for drinking, […]

 

Filling the Gap: How The Water Project is working to prevent COVID-19 in Western Kenya


Friday, March 27th, 2020by Tom Murphy

The Water Project is working in coordination with the Kenyan government to respond to and prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Western Kenya. Because of our unique relationship with the communities where we work, we are amplifying our sanitation and hygiene lessons by promoting health messaging on local radio stations and working with communities to debunk […]

 

Note from our Founder about COVID-19


Friday, March 27th, 2020by Peter

  Dear Friend, Thanks for letting me connect with you directly during this uncertain time. First, I hope this note finds you and your family healthy and safe. Many of you are no doubt facing the same types of impact we are, whether they’re financial, job-related, or simply the loss of daily interaction with those […]

 

Water, sanitation, and hygiene enable healthy lives


Friday, March 20th, 2020by Tom Murphy

Global awareness about the importance of handwashing with soap is on the rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For The Water Project, sanitation and hygiene training have always been a crucial part of our work – from building latrines in schools to teaching communities about the proper steps of handwashing. Water, sanitation, and hygiene are […]

 

How a commitment to reliable water turned around Mukunyuku RC Primary School


Friday, March 13th, 2020by Tom Murphy

In the past, Mukunyuku RC Primary School was an undesirable posting for teachers in Western Kenya. In 2017, Kennedy Wesonga was posted to the school as the new head teacher. He was not happy with the assignment. Mr. Wesonga wondered why his promotion from deputy head teacher to head teacher was to a school like […]

 

Women of WaSH: Who We Are


Friday, March 6th, 2020by Shannon Esrich

On this year’s International Women’s Day, we celebrate and salute all of the girls, women, and allies who are working to reach gender equity through access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH). Globally, we know that the water crisis disproportionately affects women and girls. Girls under the age of 15 are twice as likely as boys […]

 

No more stress during the dry season


Friday, February 28th, 2020by Tom Murphy

At a time like this in previous years, Masaani community members would be stressed out due to water scarcity as a result of the lingering drought. In this region of Southeastern Kenya, dry spells are increasingly common due to the effect of climate change on the region. However, in the past year, such concerns have […]