September, 2020: Through Their Eyes: COVID-19 Chronicles with John Mutua

This post is part of a new series by The Water Project meant to highlight the perspectives and experiences of the people we serve and how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting them. We invite you to read more of their stories here.

Our team recently visited Ndumbu Community to conduct a COVID-19 prevention training (read more about it below!) and monitor their water point. Shortly after, we returned to check in on the community, offer a COVID-19 refresher training, and ask how the pandemic affects their lives.

It was during this most recent visit that John Mutua shared his story of how the Coronavirus is impacting his life.

Field Officer Dorcas met John outside his home to conduct the interview. Both Dorcas and John observed physical distancing and other precautions throughout the visit to ensure their health and safety. The following is John's story, in his own words.

How has the new Coronavirus impacted your family?

"My family is facing a financial challenge because two of my children who used to work in Nairobi municipality, were laid off and are unable to support their families financially as they did before the outbreak of the Corona Virus. Schools were closed, and this exposed my teenage grandchildren to the risk of early pregnancy, which is on the rise, especially during this time when the children are at home and very idle. They have been engaging in bad companies and practicing bad habits like drug abuse. I am praying to God for this pandemic to end so that they can go back to school."

How is Kenya Working to stop the spread of the virus?

"Kenya is working to stop the virus by educating the public through media on the preventive measures they need to take to stop the spread of the virus. The president extended the night to dawn curfew by 30 days to reduce the spread of the virus. Towns registering high numbers of coronavirus cases like Nairobi, Mandera, and Mombasa have been on lockdown for close to three months to help curb the spread of the virus. Members of the public have also been encouraged to practice social distancing and wear masks every time they leave home. The country has also borrowed some amount of money from the World Bank and other countries to help vulnerable members of society."

How has got water changed for you?

"I am thankful to ASDF and TWP for supporting us to implement the sand dams and the protected shallow wells. Getting water is now easy, and there is no crowding at the water sources since the water is plenty, and a jerrycan is filled with just a few pump strokes."

How has getting food changed for you?

"We are currently surviving on the food in our stores, thanks to God for the good harvest we had last year. However, we are unable to have a balanced diet in every meal due to financial challenges. Before the virus, we would sell the surplus food to buy other processed foodstuffs from the market, which we are now unable to do because market centers were closed due to the Coronavirus."

How has (or will) having a well and a sand dam helped you through this time?

"Having a well and a sand dam has been very helpful to me, especially during this time. I am very thankful to ASDF and TWP for supporting us in implementing the water projects. It's like they knew there was going to be a coronavirus outbreak in the future. The water in the sand dams has enabled every member of our group to have a kitchen garden at home, and this has ensured we have a good supply of vegetables in the family. The ministry of health has encouraged the public to take more green vegetables to boost their immunity to increase their chance of survival just in case they get infected with the virus. This has been made possible by having plenty of water in the sand dams. I have also grown trees, especially fruits using the water from this dam. The water in the dams has also enabled me to water my animals (cattle and goats). If animals could talk, then they can express the joy of drinking clean water every day. Lastly, having the sand dams and the shallow wells has ended the community water crisis because before we constructed the dams, people used to fight daily at the few water points in place by then. Still, today we are living in peace and harmony with our neighbors because water is plenty, and there are no queues."

May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Kala Community

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.

We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to rural communities like Kala, Kenya.

We trained community members on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19.

Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

We covered essential hygiene lessons:

- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station

- Proper handwashing technique

- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing

- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.

We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What social distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough into an elbow

- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

- How to make and properly wear a facemask.

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point,

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.

Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention. You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.

December, 2019: Kala Community Hand-Dug Well Complete!

Kala Community, Kenya now has a new source of water thanks to your donation. A hand-dug well was constructed adjacent to a sand dam (go here to check it out). The dam was constructed on the riverbed, which will build up sand to raise the water table and naturally filter water. Recent rains have helped the dam begin to build up sand and store water.

It could take up to 3 years of rain (because sometimes it only rains once a year!) for this sand dam to reach maximum capacity. As the sand dam matures and stores more sand, a supply of water will be available for drinking from the well. With this water, the surrounding landscape will become lush and fertile.

"The water project will be instrumental in providing a nearby water source to the community members. We have been walking for long distances to access water but this site will enable us to attain water close to our homesteads," said Charles Kimatu.

"We are very excited about this project in our community."

Hand-Dug Well

Construction for this well was a success!

We worked with the Kwa Kituuti Ntheketha Earth Dam Self-Help Group for this project. The members and their families contributed materials and physical labor to complete the project. In addition, they were trained on various skills such as bookkeeping, financial management, project management, group dynamics, and governance. We also conducted a hygiene and sanitation training to teach skills like soapmaking and to help improve behaviors such as handwashing.

When an issue arises concerning the water point, the group members are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure it works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our team of field officers to assist them.

Hand-Dug Well Construction Process

We delivered the experts, materials, and tools, but the community helped get an extraordinary amount of work done too. They collected local materials to supplement the project, including sand, stones, and water.

The Process

A hole 7 feet in diameter is excavated up to a recommended depth of 25 feet. (Most hand-dug wells do not reach that depth due to the existence of hard rocks between 10-18 feet).

The diameter shrinks to 5 feet when construction of the hand-dug well lining is completed. This lining is made of brick and mortar with perforations to allow for water to seep through. Sand builds up around the well walls, which will naturally filter the rainwater that is stored behind the dam.

Once the construction of the lining reaches ground level, a precast concrete slab is laid on top and joined to the wall using mortar. 4 bolts for the hand-pump are fixed on the slab during casting. The concrete needs to dry for 2 weeks before the pump is installed.

The mechanics arrive to install the pump as community members watch, learning how to manage simple maintenance tasks for themselves.

The well is then given another few days after installing the pump to allow the joints to completely dry. The pump was installed level with the top of the sand dam. As the dam matures, sand will build up to the top of the wall. Until then, people will climb the concrete steps to get their water.

New Knowledge

Our Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Officer notified the area field officer on the training that was scheduled for the group. The local field officer helped mobilize the participants by communicating with them in advance concerning the best dates and location for the training. These self-help group members have constructed 2 sand dams and 2 shallow wells over the past 2 years. Each time, a hygiene and sanitation training was conducted to help improve their health-related habits and to encourage the community members to take care of their water sources and have sanitation facilities at their homes and water points.

Evaluations were carried out based on the action plan that was developed and which the members had promised to implement. The trainer conferred with the field staff about their previous visits to households and interviews with community members to determine which topics the community still could improve upon.

They decided to train on topics including personal hygiene; latrine hygiene, water treatment; handwashing; tippy tap construction; and soapmaking.

The venue for this training was in an old building at Charles Kimatu homestead. Charles is the chairperson of the group. His homestead is near their first dam where they could easily access water to use during the training. The venue was also a central place for all the participants. The weather was cold during the training and the environment was conducive for learning.

The participants were taken through a demonstration on how to make soap for cleaning their latrine pits. The main purpose of the project is to help the members improve their sanitation and also to generate income from the sale of these products.

During the demonstration, 2 donkeys who were used to transport water to the venue started fighting and making a lot of noise, thus interrupting the training session. The training, therefore, had to stop for some time to separate the animals. This made the topic memorable to all of us who were present.

Attendees also learned about constructing tippy tap handwashing stations. During the recent follow-up which was conducted at several homesteads belonging to members of this group, it was noted that some members had forgotten how to construct a tippy tap. The members were therefore refreshed on how to do so.

All of the participants were very excited about the refresher on this topic, and any who still did not have one in their homesteads promised to construct one that same evening.

Charles Kimatu

"Our knowledge of hygiene and sanitation has been increased and we are happy and very ready to change our hygienic behaviors. We will not give up as a group but instead, we will be more focused and more united to improve our lifestyles and hygiene and sanitation," said farmer Charles Kimatu.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

October, 2019: Kala Community Hand-Dug Well Underway

Some people in Kala Community still travel a long distance to access the water they need to meet their daily needs. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a hand-dug well that will bring water closer to their homes.

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