Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 96 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2019

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/08/2024

Project Features


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Kithoni Secondary School was started in 2013 by parents who felt their area needed a secondary school for their children who would travel long distances to access education. The school was eventually taken up by the Makueni District Education Board to operate as a government learning center. Kithoni Secondary has grown gradually over the past four years through the support of parents and teachers to attain its current status.

It has a plastic water tank to collect rainwater for the students, but it is not big enough. It only lasts for three weeks at a time before running dry - forcing the school to require the students to bring water from home each day. The water collected is not only inadequate but often unsafe. That puts students at risk of waterborne diseases and forces them to sometimes leave class to search for more water. Both situations prevent students from learning in school.

"Our school is young and in the process of establishing itself, lack of enough water supply affects the school community negatively, parents and students are required to bring water to school to sustain water needs. The extra burden placed on students affects their concentration in class and general school activities, the water available is never enough to sustain school water needs," Mr. Methusela Katiku, Principal at the school, said.

The school has suffered the challenge of inadequate water supply since it was started, and acquiring water for use in school has always been an expensive affair for the students and their parents. Science lab activities have been largely affected by lack of sufficient water supply. It prevents them from undertaking the hands-on activities that could enrich their learning.

The latrines look good since they were recently constructed. However, low water supply in school has contributed to poor levels of cleanliness at the latrines and in the classrooms, making the learning environment unfavorable for good student life.

"The poor supply of water in school has exposed us to below average levels of hygiene and sanitation against our wishes, working on water projects will help us improve our hygiene and sanitation conditions because water access will be greatly boosted," Mr. Katiku said.

The school's tree planting program was halted because there wasn't enough water.

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

Training

Students and staff will be trained in hygiene and sanitation. Those in attendance will form a school health club that will promote good hygiene and sanitation practices both at school and at home. They will learn all the steps of proper handwashing, how to treat water, and how to keep their environment clean. The school will also be taught how to best oversee and maintain their new rainwater catchment tank and handwashing stations.

Handwashing Stations

Three handwashing stations will be delivered at the project’s completion. These are 1,000-liter plastic tanks fitted with four taps. The health club and school management will be responsible for making sure tanks are filled with water and that a cleaning agent such as soap or ash is available.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

We will build a 104,000-liter rainwater catchment tank for this school. Its clean water will benefit the students, teachers, and supplementary staff. Parents will mobilize the materials needed for construction, such as sand and stone and also lend some strong arms to help with the actual construction.

As soon as the tank has time to cure, it can begin to collect rainwater for drinking, cooking, and cleaning! 104,000 liters of water will keep students and staff in class to focus on learning.


This project is a part of our shared program with Africa Sand Dam Foundation. Our team is pleased to provide the reports for this project (formatted and edited for clarity) thanks to the hard work of our friends in Kenya.

Project Updates


October, 2019: Giving Update: Kithoni Secondary School

A year ago, your generous donation helped Kithoni 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 the school. Month after month, their giving supports ongoing sustainability programs that help this school maintain access to safe, reliable water. Read more…




January, 2019: Kithoni Secondary School Project Complete

We are excited to share pictures of the completed rainwater catchment tank and new handwashing stations being used at Kithoni Secondary School. The year is off to a strong start, and students feel much more optimistic about their ability to study now that they have clean water available at school.

Enjoy the new pictures uploaded to the project page. None of this would have been possible without you!

Handwashing Stations

The two large handwashing stations were delivered to the school in time for training. Each of these has three taps so that six students can wash their hands at the same time!

Rainwater Catchment Tank

Kithoni Secondary School is affiliated with the Kwa Voki Self-Help Group, since most of its members’ children attend here. These parents and school administration approached the self-help group committee and requested their help in alleviating the water shortage at the school.

The Process:

A meeting with all of the parents and the headteacher was then held to plan out the project. Parents agreed to collect construction materials like sand, rocks, and water. On the other hand, we delivered the expertise, tools, lumber, metal, cement, and gutter system. The parents also worked hard alongside our artisans.

Cement, wire, lumber, and the many tools delivered for this project!

This tank is a whopping 104,000 liters not because of a large student population, but because of how rarely it rains in Southeastern Kenya. The more water we can store during the seasonal rains, the more water available through the dry months.

Construction for this large rainwater catchment tank is much like the construction of a concrete house. First, the ground is leveled for foundation excavation. Alternating layers of impermeable rocks are laid upon mortar up to seven feet high, with internal and external diameters of 25 and 28 feet respectively.

A reinforced concrete column is built right up to the center of the tank, which holds up the roof and prevents it from caving in. The walls are then plastered both internally and externally with waterproof cement. After that, several feet of guttering is installed and channeled into the tank.

School leadership is armed with the technical skills to ensure that the water tank remains functional, and gaps that exist can be identified through our ongoing monitoring visits.

"We are very pleased to have completed the construction of this high impact water project," said Principal Methusela Katiku.

"It will go a long way in helping us achieve water security and also saving money which was initially spent on water. Having access to adequate clean water is a goal for everyone in the world, and this project will help us always have clean water throughout the year for the school community."




December, 2018: Successful Training at Kithoni Secondary School

We are excited to share news of a successful water project at Kithoni Secondary School. Students will return from holiday vacation with a big reason to celebrate!

The rainwater catchment tank was constructed, but the team could not return to take pictures because the school administration has locked things up for December vacation and asked us to return to take the pictures after the students return in January. Our painter also plans to decorate the tank with hygiene reminders such as "Choose Handwashing, Choose Health."

We look forward to showing you this in January!

A hygiene and sanitation training was conducted with several students and teachers, and handwashing stations were delivered; we are excited to share an account of training with you today.

New Knowledge

Hygiene and sanitation training was planned by field officer Veronica Matolo in collaboration with the Kathonzweni area field officer, Muendo Ndambuki. He communicated with the school's deputy headteacher and settled on a suitable date. All teachers and students were invited to attend.

There were 68 students in all. The entire school population wasn't there because some had to attend a chemistry examination. A majority of students were very active and involved. Girls generally expressed more interest compared to their boy counterparts, possibly because women are traditionally seen as most responsible for hygiene and water-related activities.

Trainer Matolo taught about personal hygiene, the importance of latrines, how germs spread, and how to make soap. Students loved following Ms. Matolo's recipe to make their first batch of soap together. The students were impressed and happy that the headteacher said that they will continue making soap to have enough for the next semester. They had been buying soap every semester, and will be grateful to decrease this line item on their budget.

Students also appreciated the handwashing demonstrations. Ms. Matolo showed them all of the steps to thorough handwashing out at the new handwashing taps we delivered to the school. The students had just discussed how germs spread, and learned that handwashing is the cheapest and most effective way to keep from getting sick. They watched closely and then got to practice handwashing for themselves.

Don't forget to use the soap!

After all of this new knowledge, the students voted on members for a student health club. These students will work with one of their teachers to promote good hygiene practices and healthy lifestyles among their peers.

Student health club leaders

"The training has been good to us as students," said 16-year-old Martin Kioko.

Martin Kioko

"The knowledge acquired will help us improve our personal hygiene practices, and the content on soap-making will be applied to making soap for use here in school. The soap will be used in handwashing and other activities such as washing our plates after lunch."




November, 2018: Good News from Kithoni Secondary School

A severe clean water shortage at Kithoni Secondary School drains students’ time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, that will soon be a problem of the past. In fact, we just heard that construction on a new rainwater catchment tank is almost finished.

Students completed their national examinations this week and have already been dismissed for December vacation. We were able to hold hygiene and sanitation training before break, but the tank was still under construction.

We will reach out again soon with pictures of training and the completed tank, but ultimately look forward to sending you another update in January once students are in school and benefiting from clean water!




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: Kithoni Secondary School

October, 2019

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

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kithoni 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!

Kithoni Secondary School has experienced a surplus supply of water in the past year. The water tank constructed a year ago has given the school a great facelift and reputation in the locality.

Students marvel at the abundant water supply. They are more jovial and energetic than before, and not so grumpy and tired because they are enjoying the surplus supply of clean drinking water in the school. That is in large part due to the fact that they no longer carry jerry cans of water to school every day since it is available from the tank.

"This has been a great relief because it was a very exhausting task," said 18-year-old student Stephen Kasanga, reflecting back on when he had to carry water to school each day.

"Students are provided with well-prepared food and clean drinking water after meals. As a result, concentration levels have increased and academic performance has also improved."

The water is fresh and very sweet for drinking, say the students and staff. Everyone is happy and content with the school water tank project.

The school routine flows seamlessly with fewer disruptions from class. The school management has improved, and using the other water storage tanks, the students are able to undertake their projects effectively and efficiently. Stephen said that the agriculture students are able to work on their projects on the school farm now that there is enough water for irrigation.

"School life has been much better and easier in the past year thanks to the water tank project. There are no challenges hampering our journey to academic excellence," he said.

School farm plot

The school environment has perked up, too. There are many trees planted by the students and flowers which really beautify the surroundings.

Hygiene and sanitation have improved greatly, and the compound is well organized since the sanitation and hygiene training they received as a part of the project. The handwashing stations are functional and a handwashing culture has been assimilated by the students.

"There's plenty of drinking water and the students have adopted a handwashing culture which makes us so proud as a school," noted Deputy Principal Isaac Kisingu.

Deputy Principal Isaac Kisingu gets a drink from the rain tank

Latrines are washed frequently and this is clearly evident due to the cleanliness observed and the water facilities erected near the latrines.

"The water tank has relieved the school of [the] great burdens and financial strains it incurred in the past years. We are very excited and thankful for the support granted and for heeding our call," Mr. Kisingu said.


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 Kithoni 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 Kithoni 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.


Contributors

Project Sponsor - Da Bomb Bath Fizzers
Project Sponsor - Da Bomb Bath Fizzers