Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 172 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Karen Maruti, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist

Every morning around 7am, students of Kamuluguywa Secondary School walk through the school gate carrying their school bags. Boys and girls come through the gate in groups of threes and fours. First, the teacher on duty has them line up for a hygiene check. They make sure students are in full uniform with shirts tucked in and hair combed. Those with dirty school uniforms are sent to the school bathroom to wash up as their clean counterparts gather for daily announcements.

This secondary school currently has a student enrollment of 155. It employs 12 teachers and five support staff. This year, the overall school population has dropped by 30 students, and administration attributes this to their water shortage.

Water

After morning announcements, they start the first lesson. At break time, one class is tasked with going to the spring to fetch water for staff to cook lunch. Boys and girls are required to keep a brisk pace on the one-kilometer walk to the spring. An adult chaperone always trails behind the group. After lunch, they are again sent for the water needed for cleaning classrooms.

Though it's possible the water from this spring is clean because of the construction work that's been done on it, we're concerned about the long trip back as students carry the water in open containers. Either way, a lot of time and energy is sacrificed as students take their turns making the trip for water. By the time they return, they've already missed a lot of class.

Here is what one staff member has to say about the situation:

"My name is Lihanda Asega, and I am the deputy headteacher in this school. The walk for water and sanitation has not been easy. We have a small rainwater tank that is not sufficient, hence we have to send the pupils to Kamuluguywa Water Spring. Though the spring is protected, our learners waste a lot of time when sent to fetch water. It's especially worse when we send both boys and girls, as they go loitering in the market and never show up for afternoon classes. Three of our girls got pregnant last year and couldn't stay in school, and we believe it's because of sending them to fetch water. We are in dire need of somebody to help."

Sanitation

The students have no latrines of their own. Instead, they have to walk to the nearby primary school to wait in line behind the younger students. The school is doing its best to keep their classrooms clean, even though they don't have much water. They sweep and pick up litter as much as possible.

Here's what we're going to do about it:

Training

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.

Handwashing Stations

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. 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. Once finished, this tank can begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff.

We and the school strongly believe that with this assistance, standards will significantly improve. These higher standards will translate to better academic performance!

Project Updates


September, 2019: Giving Update: Kamuluguywa Secondary School

A year ago, your generous donation helped Kamuluguywa Secondary School in Kenya access clean water.

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




November, 2018: Kamuluguywa Secondary School Project Complete

A new rainwater catchment system was built! Kamuluguywa Secondary 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.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

Construction for this 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank was successful!

"Being a young and growing school, this water tank will help us to enroll more students and the water will also help us keep the school clean because we will have enough water to clean classrooms and latrines, too," said board member Julius Musi.

"God bless you for transforming lives through the provision of safe and clean water."

The most difficult step of the process, ironically, was finding enough water to mix cement. Students are often eager to carry water with them to school to help our artisans, but construction was scheduled during school vacation. Thus, three local women were hired to come and help our artisans get enough water for the cement. These ladies made several trips back and forth from the community water spring.

The Process:

Our staff and the school administration started by looking around the school to determine the best location for their 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.

The field officer checking that quality standards are met.

The catchment area was dug, plastered, and a staircase installed so students can easily get water from the tap.

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.

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

VIP Latrines

This project funded the installation of six new ventilated improved pit 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.

Handwashing Stations

Pupils can now enjoy washing their hands with soap thanks to the two handwashing stations that were delivered to their school.  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 with their peers at school and families at home.

New Knowledge

We made prior arrangements with the headteacher and agreed on a day and time for hygiene and sanitation training. The headteacher then asked student representatives from each grade to attend. These students are selected to run a school child to child health club that will promote good health among their peers at school and families at home. The students were enthusiastic about the training, asking questions and participating in each activity.

The school needed to be equipped with knowledge on how to improve standards of hygiene and to also ensure that the sanitation facilities given to them are maintained to serve the school for years to come. Some of the topics covered include water pollution, personal and environmental hygiene, operations and maintenance of the facilities, group dynamics, and leadership and governance. The group activities equipped the new health club to promote hygiene and sanitation awareness at their school.

Handwashing demonstration

Under personal hygiene, dental hygiene was discussed. The participants were urged to brush their teeth at least twice per day after breakfast and before going to sleep. They should also not forget to brush their tongue since it can be a source of bad breathe if not cleaned well and can lead to tooth decay. This topic was memorable because the students were quite excited to learn that you could use a clean stick for a toothbrush and charcoal for a cleaning agent. Toothpaste is hard to afford for a lot of families.

Group discussion

"We have learned a lot about sanitation and hygiene promotion during this training, and we promise to put in practice what we have been taught," Gillian Khamonya said.

"This will keep the school clean and we will be able to maintain hygiene, both environmental and personal, and we will be able to teach our parents back home too."




September, 2018: Kamuluguywa Secondary School Project Underway

A severe clean water shortage at Kamuluguywa Secondary School drains students’ time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this school through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




Project Videos


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: Kamuluguywa Secondary School

September, 2019

A year ago, your generous donation helped Kamuluguywa Secondary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Rebecca Khadioli. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kamuluguywa Secondary 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!

Ever since the completion of their rain tank and other WaSH facilities last year, the health of students and staff at Kamuluguywa Secondary School have improved as waterborne and water-related diseases have been eradicated. Students' academic performance has also improved since students spend more time in class.

This is unlike before when they wasted their time as they went to get water off-campus and could sometimes be forced to queue for a long time as they waited for their turn to fill up their containers. The availability of water in the school has also led to more students enrolling in the school, which has contributed to the school's overall development.

When the rain tank was installed last year it did not yet have a manhole cover at the drawing point, and as a result, the community members surrounding the school would sometimes drain all the water from the tank in the evenings and weekends. The school administration took initiative and installed a lockable manhole cover at the drawing point to control the use of water from the tank. This was a commendable gesture since it shows their commitment towards sustainability of the water source, and their willingness to improve their situation however they can.

Mr. Luvembe with students at the rain tank (Rebecca on left)

School Principal Mr. Gerald Luvembe was one of the staff members behind this manhole initiative and was glad to share his thoughts with us on how the projects have been impacting his school over the last year.

"The hygienic condition of the school has improved since now we have a reliable source of water from the tank to do general cleaning, cooking, and drinking. Cases of indiscipline have also reduced since students are in school throughout the day unlike before where their classes were interrupted to go and fetch water for use and some of them used to misbehave on the way to the spring."

Above, 17-year-old Rebecca Khadioli stands in front of the rain tank next to Mr. Eric Nambisia, a teacher at her school (hear Mr. Nambisia share his thanks in a video, found on the photos tab!). Rebecca, a student at Kamuluguywa Secondary School, shared how her experience as a learner has changed based on the facilities.

"The availability of this tank has helped us in time management in that we don't waste time anymore to go to [the] spring to fetch water. Instead, we use that time to study which in turn has improved our academic performances in class. We no longer suffer from waterborne and water-related [diseases] since we have access to safe and clean water."

Rebecca, Field Officer Christine Masinde, Mr. Luvembe, and another student at the rain tank

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 Kamuluguywa Secondary 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 Kamuluguywa Secondary 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.