Project Status



Project Type:  Protected Spring

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 210 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - May 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/05/2024

Project Features


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The water that the 210 people living in Mulula depend on for drinking, household chores, and irrigation for their crops comes from Mulula Spring. Although there is sufficient water, the spring is contaminated, difficult to access, and overcrowded.

The spring sits at the bottom of a large hill, and on a good day, the path to collect water is challenging. But during the rainy season, it is just plain treacherous. The path becomes slick, causing water users to have difficulty staying upright, especially while climbing back up the hill with heavy, full containers.

"Fetching water from this spring is not easy, especially during the rainy season. This is because the spring is found in a sloppy and busy area, which is very dangerous," said 10-year-old Carlos M, in the photo below collecting water.

"The water in this source is very contaminated, which has led me to water-related diseases. It has really affected my studies. Last term, I did not go to school because I was so sick and because I didn't do the exams. My teacher asked me to repeat the same class," shared Carlos.

It is obvious by looking at the green algae floating in the spring that the water is not safe for human consumption.

"God has blessed this community of ours with a permanent source of water, but the water is open to contamination. The water from this spring is not safe for drinking, but because there are no other sources, I use the water for drinking, cooking, bathing, and washing, which has led me to health problems," said Beatrice Mulula, a 34-year-old farmer (in the photo below collecting water with children from the community).

Like Carlos and many other community members, Beatrice also reports frequent health issues directly related to consuming this spring's dirty water.

"Since I got married in this community and started using the water, my skin developed skin rashes, which has generally affected my health," said Beatrice.

With the spring protected, things will not be perfect for those living in Mulula, but the risks from drinking dirty water will be reduced significantly, and community members like Beatrice and Carlos should see a drastic improvement in their health.

What We Can Do:

Spring Protection

Protecting the spring will help provide access to cleaner and safer water and reduce the time people have to spend to fetch it. Construction will keep surface runoff and other contaminants out of the water. With the community’s high involvement in the process, there should be a good sense of responsibility and ownership for the new clean water source.

Fetching water is a task predominantly carried out by women and young girls. Protecting the spring and offering training and support will, therefore, help empower the female members of the community by freeing up more of their time and energy to engage and invest in income-generating activities and their education.

Training on Health, Hygiene and More

To hold trainings during the pandemic, we work closely with both community leaders and the local government to approve small groups to attend training. We ask community leaders to invite a select yet representative group of people to attend training who will then act as ambassadors to the rest of the community to share what they learn. We also communicate our expectations of physical distancing and wearing masks for all who choose to attend.

The training will focus on improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits in this community. With the community’s input, we will identify key leverage points where they can alter their practices at the personal, household, and community levels to affect change. This training will help to ensure participants have the knowledge they need about healthy practices and their importance to make the most of their water point as soon as water is flowing.

Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train community members. Some of these methods include participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, asset-based community development, group discussions, handouts, and demonstrations at the spring.

One of the most important issues we plan to cover is the handling, storage, and treatment of water. Having a clean water source will be extremely helpful, but it is useless if water gets contaminated by the time it is consumed. We and the community strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve living standards here, which will help to unlock the potential for these community members to live better, healthier lives.

We will then conduct a small series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.

Training will result in the formation of a water user committee, elected by their peers, that will oversee the operations and maintenance of the spring. The committee will enforce proper behavior around the spring and delegate tasks that will help preserve the site, such as building a fence and digging proper drainage channels. The fence will keep out destructive animals and unwanted waste, and the drainage will keep the area’s mosquito population at a minimum.

Project Updates


May, 2023: Mulula Community Spring Protection Complete!

Mulula Community now has access to clean water! Thanks to your donation, we transformed Mulula Spring into a flowing source of naturally filtered water. We also installed a chlorine dispenser to provide added protection and trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for community members to live better, healthier lives.

"I am now accessing safe, clean water and an easy collection of water. Thank you so much for protecting this spring," said 51-year-old farmer Brian Chuguli.

Brian (left) with other men from the community collecting water from the protected spring.

"My goal is to ensure that my children are now concentrating [on] their studies. This is because I used to disturb them a lot to come and fetch the water very early in the morning and in the evening because it was so hectic for me to come and fetch water. But now the water point is accessible even during the rainy season, and I will be able to come and fetch water anytime and not disturb them but [allow them] to reach the school early enough for them to concentrate [on] their studies," said Brian.

Children were just as excited as adults about the new waterpoint.

"I am now drinking safe, clean water without any contamination. [The] reliability of water from this spring will impact my life positively," said 13-year-old Tracy S.

Tracy collects water from the protected spring.

She continued, "The stairs that were constructed have eased [the] collection of water from this spring, unlike before when I used [to stand] on a stone for me to fetch water. Also, the pipe installed has made [it] easy when one is fetching water; thus, I will not waste a lot of time at the spring."

Preparing for Spring Protection

Community members worked together to source and carry all locally available construction materials to the spring. These included bricks, sand, stones, and fencing poles. Some people also chiseled away at large rocks to break them into gravel. Because people have to carry most items by hand, the material-collection process can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.

When the community was ready, we sent a truck to deliver the remaining construction materials, including cement, plastic tarps, and hardware. Then, our construction artisan and field officers deployed to the spring to begin work. Individual households provided meals throughout each day to sustain the work team.

From Open Source to Protected Spring: A Step-by-Step Process

First, we cleared and excavated the spring area. Next, we dug a drainage channel below the spring and several runoff diversion channels above and around the spring. These help to divert surface contaminants away.

To ensure community members could still access water throughout the construction process, we also dug temporary channels around the construction site from the spring's eye. This allowed water to flow without disrupting community members' tasks or the construction work. Excavation created space for setting the spring's foundation, made of thick plastic, wire mesh, concrete, and waterproof cement.

Laying the foundation.

After establishing the base, we started brickwork to build the headwall, wing walls, and stairs. Once the walls had grown tall enough, we began one of the most crucial steps: setting the discharge pipe. The discharge pipe needs to be positioned low enough in the headwall so the water level never rises above the spring's eye, yet high enough to allow room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipe without making contact, which prevents cross-contamination.

If we place the discharge pipe too high above the spring's eye, back pressure could force water to emerge elsewhere. Too low, and community members would not be able to access the water easily. We embedded the pipe using clay (or mortar when the clay is in short supply) and placed it at an incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

Setting the discharge pipe.

In coordination with brickwork, we pitched stones on both sides of the spring's drainage channel. We then cemented and plastered each stone, forming the rub walls. These walls discourage people and animals from standing in that area, which could cause soil erosion and a clogged drainage area.

We then cemented and plastered both sides of the headwall and wing walls. These finishing layers reinforce the brickwork and prevent water in the reservoir from seeping through the walls. In turn, enough pressure builds in the reservoir box to push water out through the discharge pipe.

Checking that the discharge pipe is high enough for a water container to fit under the collection pipe.

As the headwall and wing walls cured, we cemented and plastered the stairs and installed four tiles beneath the discharge pipe. The tiles protect the concrete from the falling water's erosive force while beautifying the spring and facilitating easy cleaning of the spring floor.

The final stage of construction is backfilling the reservoir box behind the discharge pipe. We cleared the collection box of any debris that may have fallen during construction. Then we redirected the temporary diversion channels back into the reservoir box, channeling water into this area for the first time. We close all other exits to force water through only the discharge pipe.

Backfilling with stones.

We filled the reservoir area with the large, clean stones community members had gathered, arranging them in layers like a well-fitting puzzle. We covered the rocks with a thick plastic to minimize potential contamination sources, then piled enough dirt on top to compensate for future settling.

Community members transplanted grass onto the backfilled soil to help prevent erosion. The collection area was fenced to discourage any person or animal from walking on it. Compaction can lead to disturbances in the backfill layers and potentially compromise water quality.

Transplanting grass near the spring area to prevent erosion.

The construction process took about two weeks of work and patience to allow the cement and plaster to finish curing. As soon as the spring was ready, people got the okay from their local field officers to fetch water.

We officially handed over the spring to mark the community's ownership of the water point. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions.

The finished protected spring.

"Mulula Spring users are now happy for their water point. Most of them worked tirelessly, especially [the] women who were led by a village elder, Mary Mulula, to ensure their water point did not stall or delay. As a field officer in charge, I was so happy seeing such passionate people. They were very grateful too for the project, thanking the donors for their efforts to ensure that they are drinking safe, clean water. They also promised to take good care of their spring always," said field officer Nelly Chebet.

Training on Health, Hygiene, and More

Together with the community, we found their preferred date for training while considering other community calendar events, such as the agricultural season and social events. We requested a representative group of community members to attend training and relay the information learned to the rest of their families and friends.

When the day arrived, facilitators Nelly, Wilson, and Brian deployed to the site to lead the event. 25 people attended the training, including 23 women and two men. We held the training at a community member's homestead, outside under some shade trees.

Distributing training materials.

We covered several topics, including community participation in the project; leadership and governance; personal, dental, and environmental hygiene; water handling and treatment; spring maintenance; the importance of primary health care and disease prevention; family planning; soapmaking; how to make and use handwashing stations; and the ten steps of handwashing.

During the leadership and governance session, we held an election for the newly formed water user committee leaders, who will oversee the maintenance of the spring. We also brainstormed income-generating activities. Community members can now start a group savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group, enabling them to develop small businesses.

Community members learn how to make soap.

"Leadership was the most memorable topic. In this group, it was so unique that most contenders for the leadership titles were women, and what made [it] most interesting were men were being backed up, which is not common in African tradition. In our water user committee, the women also did the same when they were electing their leaders despite [the fact] that some men were present," said Nelly.

"The second memorable topic was operation and maintenance [of the spring]. The topic was so involved as I took the participants through the parts of the spring's care and maintenance. I taught them how to take good care of the spring, such as cleaning the cut-off drainage and the drainage channel, [warning that] their children [should not] play around the spring, and women [needed] to stop washing [clothes] around the spring," concluded Nelly.

"I have learned a lot, and I hope the information I have acquired will help me transform many lives positively in this community. I personally thank the organization for this great training, and I assure you that this information will get [to] those who were not able to attend this training," said Tracy, who was quoted earlier.

A group photo of the training participants.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members. When an issue arises concerning the spring, the water user committee is equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately and there is guaranteed public access in the future. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact their local field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.

With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, we’re working toward complete coverage. That means reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!

Thank you for making all of this possible!




April, 2023: Mulula Community Spring Protection Underway!

A severe clean water shortage in Mulula drains people’s time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this community 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 Photos


Project Type

Springs are water sources that come from deep underground, where the water is filtered through natural layers until it is clean enough to drink. Once the water pushes through the surface of the Earth, however, outside elements like waste and runoff can contaminate the water quickly. We protect spring sources from contamination with a simple waterproof cement structure surrounding layers of clay, stone, and soil. This construction channels the spring’s water through a discharge pipe, making water collection easier, faster, and cleaner. Each spring protection also includes a chlorine dispenser at the waterpoint so community members can be assured that the water they are drinking is entirely safe. Learn more here!


Contributors

Project Sponsor - St. Therese Foundation