Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 389 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Aug 2018

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/28/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Mwanzo Primary School is located in Vihiga County, Kenya. Total student enrollment is 375, and the school employs 12 teachers.

Learning starts at 7am every morning with an hour study hall. Normal lessons are from 8am to 4pm. Many primary school graduates end up going straight into the motorcycle transport industry - popularly known as 'Boda-Boda.' Many women do small business likes selling vegetables from their gardens.

Water Situation

There are two breaks between morning lessons when students are sent to fetch water from an open water source. Students dip jerrycans of five to 10 liters under the flowing water until they're full. This water is so dirty; even animals drink directly from the stream! Nonetheless, it is used for drinking and cleaning. After drinking this water, students suffer from waterborne diseases.

Sanitation Situation

There are nine filthy pit latrines split up among the students. There are too few latrines for all of these students, so students wait uncomfortably in long lines during class break. There isn't anywhere for them to wash their hands after, either.

What we can do:

Training and Handwashing Stations

Training will be held for two days. The facilitator will use PHAST (participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation), ABCD (asset-based community development), CTC (child to child), lectures, group discussions, and handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good practices within the school. The CTC method will prepare students to lead other students into healthy habits, as well as kickstart a CTC club for the school. This CTC club will oversee the new facilities, such as handwashing stations, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The two handwashing stations will be delivered to the school, and the club will fill them with water on a daily basis and make sure there is always a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.

VIP Latrines

Two triple-door latrines will be constructed with local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will serve the girls while the other three serve the boys. And with a new source of water on school grounds, students and staff should have enough to keep these new latrines clean.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will help alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will also help gather the needed materials such as sand, rocks, and water from the spring for mixing cement (students have already started helping). Once finished, this tank can begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff. Students will no longer have to spend their breaks going out to get dirty water.

The headteacher told us, "I'm a happy man because this project you are bringing us will transform the whole village for sure. I pray that I will live and continue teaching here for many more years so as to witness and be a part of the success!" We and the school strongly believe that with this assistance, standards will significantly improve. These higher standards will translate to better academic performance.


This project is a part of our shared program with Western Water And Sanitation Forum (WEWASAFO). Our team is pleased to provide the reports for this project (edited for clarity) thanks to the hard work of our friends in Kenya.

Project Updates


September, 2019: Giving Update: Mwanzo Primary School

A year ago, your generous donation helped Mwanzo Primary School in Kenya access clean water.

There’s an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water at Mwanzo Primary School. Month after month, their giving supports ongoing sustainability programs that help this school maintain access to safe, reliable water. Read more…




August, 2018: Clean Water at Mwanzo Primary School

A new rainwater catchment system was built! Mwanzo Primary School in Kenya now has a new source of safe, clean water thanks to your support. Handwashing stations were installed so that students can clean up after using their new latrines, and students and staff have received training in sanitation and hygiene.

New Knowledge

We worked with the headteacher to plan a convenient date for hygiene and sanitation training. Student leaders were picked to represent each class, who accompanied teachers, board members, and parents to attend. The school could only find the space and time for training during the academic holiday, so we were a little worried that the people we invited wouldn't show up.

We were happy to find 14 people waiting for us in a classroom on a drizzly morning.

Thankfully, by the time we had to go outside to teach about tank management and maintenance, the rain had subsided. The lighting inside the dark classroom was not good for photos, but we were able to get some good shots of our outside activities.

We covered several topics, including bathing, oral hygiene, and handwashing with soap as a barrier from germs; operation and maintenance of the new facilities, with each person understanding their role for long-lasting clean water and good health. The student participants also started a student health club that will oversee health promotion both at school and at home.

Sara demonstrates handwashing to her peers as one of their teachers looks on.

Students and especially parents appreciated the training on solar disinfection, which only requires a clear container, time, and direct sunlight. They confirmed that this treatment method would save their families a lot of money that would have been used to buy chlorine.

The students felt so inspired after learning how to take care of their new rainwater catchment tank. They want to start a farm club to plant vegetables, which would cover the cost if a gutter or tap ever needed replacement.

The school administration gathers near to hear about tank maintenance.

Teacher Albert Anjichi said, "Being qualified to get a project is not something that just happens. This is an answered prayer. There is poor health in this area and that is why we also really needed this training. We will do as you have told because we need this water and we also need to exercise good health the way you have trained us... because we need to be healthy!"

Handwashing Stations

Pupils can now enjoy washing their hands with soap thanks to the two handwashing stations that were delivered to their school. Before, there was nowhere to wash hands. These new handwashing opportunities will help reduce cases of hygiene-related illness. The training on hygiene has motivated these students to share what they’ve learned both with their peers at school and families at home.

Understanding the importance of handwashing, students from the new health club have also built new handwashing stations from empty containers.

VIP Latrines

This project funded the installation of six new ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines. All of these new latrines have cement floors that are easy to use and clean. And with a rainwater catchment tank, there should be enough water to keep them clean all the time.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

Construction for this 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank was successful! Rainy weather was the only challenge. It could start raining first thing in the morning, delaying any cement work the artisans wanted to do. It took patience to wait for the right time to plaster the foundation, walls and dome!

Parents, staff, and students helped our artisans gather everything needed for construction. Students were especially helpful in shuttling bricks to the artisans during their class breaks. They were so excited to see the finished latrines and tanks! All the while, women cooked meals for the artisans, and the school provided accommodations for the artisans during their work. Local men and women helped our artisans with their manual labor, too.

The process officially began with our staff and school administration looking around the school compound to try and determine the best location for a new rainwater catchment tank. This needed to be the best site with good, clean roofing to catch the rainwater.

Then, we cleared the site: excavating the soil within the required measurements to make level ground for the tank foundation. The foundation was cast by laying stones on a level ground and then reinforcing it using steel, concrete and waterproof cement.

Both the drawing pipe as well as the washout pipe were affixed as the foundation was lain. The wall was built with ferro-cement techniques through six layers. The inner wall was plastered while rough casting was done on the outer part.

Dome construction could begin after the superstructure had been given enough time to settle. The manhole cover was fitted, inlet pipes were connected to the roof gutters, inlet screens, ventilation pipes (breathers) and overflow pipes were all done to standard.

Finally, the catchment area was dug, plastered, and a staircase installed.

Once finished, the tank was given three weeks to undergo complete curing before it was cleaned and handed over to Mwanzo Primary School, though we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program.

The school headteacher together and the other staff members organized a special thanksgiving ceremony. The event was planned to thank God for enabling success, despite the hurdles of mobilizing for the construction materials and the rains that kept interfering with construction work.

"We are very grateful for the project that has been brought to our school," Teacher Emily Kadesa said.

Teacher Emily Kadasia stands proudly by her school's rainwater catchment tank.

"We promise to take care of the facilities and ensure that we do not go back to the water problems we had in the past. This tank is very beautiful and its water very clean. It is now the pride of ADC Mwanzo, therefore we will jealously guard it!"




June, 2018: Mwanzo Primary School Underway

We're excited to share that artisans have arrived (we're certain!) at Mwanzo Primary School to build a rainwater catchment tank and latrines. As construction progresses, students, teachers, and parent representatives will attend an important training about their health at school, home, and the greater community. Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to reaching out very soon with news of clean water!




April, 2018: News from Mwanzo Primary School

Dear Friends, we just received word from the field that the tank and latrine construction are delayed. We're moving the completion date back by three months. We continue to work with this school as they prepare for our artisans.

Thank you for standing with us to provide clean water for these students!




February, 2018: Mwanzo Primary School Project Underway

Mwanzo Primary School in Kenya has begun building a new source of safe, clean water because of your generous donation. A rainwater catchment tank and new latrines are being constructed, hand-washing stations provided, and the school is being trained on proper sanitation and hygiene practices. Imagine the impact this will have on these students! For now, please enjoy the new stories, pictures, and maps of this school. We look forward to reaching out again soon!




Project Photos


Project Type

For a rainwater collection system, we build gutters around a building with good, clean roofing to channel rain where we want it. From there, the water falls through a filtered inlet pipe into a high-capacity storage tank, the size of which is based on population and average rainfall patterns. In the tank, water can be stored for months, where it is easily treated and accessed. Learn more here!


Giving Update: Mwanzo Primary School

September, 2019

A year ago, your generous donation helped Mwanzo Primary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Emily Aruganja. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Mwanzo Primary School.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Mwanzo Primary School maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

Since the installation of their water tank and other WaSH projects a little over a year ago, Mwanzo Primary School is now enjoying fresh and clean water instead of having to go across the road like they used to for fetching water from the river.

School cleanliness has improved drastically since water is now easily accessible to aid in cleaning, and students and teachers say their personal health has improved compared to last year. Deputy Head Teacher Evans Mutumbi is pleased to see and feel the changes in his school since we installed these projects.

"The pupils are now more relaxed because they can now play during break instead of using their free time to go fetch water at the river. The pupils are now contained in school throughout the day which improved learning [due to more time in class]," he told us during a recent visit.

"We no longer have cases of waterborne diseases such as typhoid and diarrhea, unlike before where you would find such cases at least every term," explained 14-year-old student Emily Aruganja.

"Our lives have improved since we are no longer endangered while crossing the road every now and then to go fetch water in the river across the road."

Teacher Mrs. Catherine Avugwe gets a drink


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Mwanzo Primary School maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Mwanzo Primary School – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


Contributors

Project Underwriter - Romac Industries Inc.
USPA Europe
5 individual donor(s)