Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 288 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2017

Functionality Status:  Low/No Water or Mechanical Breakdown

Last Checkup: 09/09/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Africa Sand Dam Foundation. Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Welcome to the School

Lung'u Secondary School is a mix of day students and boarding students located in Lung'u village, Kisau Division of Makueni County. Out of the student population of 288, only 18 girls are boarders but more are requesting to board. During the week, boarders only get 5 liters of water for bathing and cleaning, but that increases to 20 liters on Saturdays and Sundays when a more thorough cleaning is carried out. All of the day scholars have to report to school at 6:30 each morning. There are nine 40-minute lessons each day. Teaching starts at 8AM and ends at 4PM with tea and lunch breaks in between.

Water Situation

Lung'u has a few small plastic tanks for rainwater on campus. However, this rainwater doesn't meet students' needs for many days. Thus, the administration pays for water to be trucked into school from a borehole that is 8 kilometers away. Other water vendors load up their donkeys with plastic barrels of water to sell to the school at 25 shillings per 20 liters.

Not only is this a daily expenditure for the school, but it also becomes a cost for the student. After drinking water from these sources, students suffer from waterborne diseases and often miss school for treatment and recovery.

Sanitation Situation

There are 15 pit latrines shared by both the boarders and day students. These are in fairly good condition. Some are made of iron sheets, while others are made of caked mud or cement.

There are three bathing rooms for the boarders, but only one hand-washing station intended for the staff's use.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Students and staff will be trained for one day. Those in attendance will form a hygiene club that will promote good hygiene and sanitation practices both at school and home. They will learn all of the steps to proper hand-washing, 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 hand-washing stations.

Plans: Hand-Washing Stations

Three hand-washing stations will be delivered at the project’s completion. These are 1,000-liter plastic tanks fitted with taps. The hygiene 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.

Plans: Rainwater Catchment Tank

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

The huge capacity of this tank makes the others look tiny in comparison; 104,000 liters should collect enough water to carry students through the entire dry season. As soon as the tank has time to cure, it can begin to collect rainwater for drinking, cooking and cleaning!

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Lung'u Secondary School

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater catchment tank and latrines for the Lung'u Secondary School in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, our partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner Titus Mbithi with you.




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!


A Year Later: Lung'u Secondary School

December, 2017

More water is now available for the boarding students. Formerly, we had five liters per day. Now, we have 10 liters per day. This has improved student cleanliness.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Lung'u 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!

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater harvesting tank and latrines for the Lung'u Secondary School in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, our partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner Titus Mbithi with you.


Clean water has changed the culture at Lung'u. There is no more stress about where water is going to come from, and about whether or not it's safe to drink. There is enough for both students and staff.

Furthermore, there are higher standards of hygiene and sanitation, and the hand-washing stations are still being used by students.

Thumbs up for clean water to drink!

We met Deputy Principal Daniel Musembi at the rainwater catchment tank to talk about the impact it's had over the past year. "We now have enough water supply in the school." And since it's no longer necessary to buy water from vendors, "the school is saving on average 18,000 shillings per month. Cases of students falling sick have decreased significantly, all owing to the clean water access."

Fridah Nduku

17-year-old Fridah Nduku is a boarding student who relies on her water needs through day and night. She said that "more water is now available for the boarding students. Formerly, we had five liters per day. Now, we have 10 liters per day. This has improved student cleanliness. Hand-washing stations have also improved the levels of hygiene and sanitation." When we asked if there were any big problems she was still facing, she responded by saying "most of her problems have been solved by the tank."


The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.


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 Lung'u 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 Lung'u 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 - The Lifeplus Foundation