Project Status



Project Type:  Protected Spring

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2017

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 09/06/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Western Water and Sanitation Forum (WEWASAFO). Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Welcome to the Community

Mukhonje Village is highly populated, with about 600 people from 85 different households. (Editor's Note: While this many people may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people.  This community would be a good candidate for a second project in the future so adequate water is available. To learn more, click here.)

Normal days in this village start even earlier than  those in neighboring communities. The men wake up and go directly to where they are brewing alcohol from sugarcane. After they've checked on that, they'll head to the sugarcane plantation. This all happens around 5 am, when the children are forced to rush to the unprotected spring and fetch water to prepare breakfast and baths. Women are on their toes finishing the house chores so that they can later join their husbands on the farm. If not working on a sugarcane farm, a woman might be found in her own household garden nurturing cassava or potatoes. If the family has harvested enough crops, a woman might also venture to the local market to set up a booth.

Since everybody here has such a busy schedule, there is very little crime.

Water Situation

The water source this community relies on is Ogola Spring. Its water is used for drinking, cooking, cleaning, watering animals, and irrigating farms during the dry season.

The children bring small cups or bowls to help fill a larger jerrycan. If this small container is forgotten, a person is forced to cup their hands and fill the jerrycan. Since the source is unprotected, it is open to contamination from many different sources. When it rains, feces, chemicals, and other waste can wash into the water. Animals have free reign to drink directly from the water. Since so many households rely on Ogola Spring, it is often over congested with long waiting lines. During our visit, contamination was evident, and locals described the constant illnesses suffered after drinking this water. Most living here have spent a lot of money treating diarrhea and typhoid.

Sanitation Situation

Over half of households have pit latrines, but most of them are in bad shape. Floors are made of mud and cow dung, and the walls are made of woven banana fibers. Less that a quarter of families have a place to wash their hands after using the latrine. They don't even have helpful tools like dish racks and clotheslines to dry belongings up off the ground. Trash disposal is a huge concern in this area. Most families tend to throw their garbage in the kitchen garden, and the others just throw it all over the compound.

Mr. Gerishon Matsanza, the assistant chief, took us on a tour of his village. He said, "I am humbled by your visit in our community, but am totally ashamed to disclose the health situation at hand. Indeed we are lagging behind in terms of developments since most of the people have been spending time and resources going to the hospital. This is because most are affected by typhoid and diarrhea and also lack proper information on sanitation and hygiene, thus causing their health to deteriorate."

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training and Sanitation Platforms

Community members will attend hygiene and sanitation training for at least three days. This training will ensure participants are no longer ignorant about healthy practices and their importance. The facilitator plans to use PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation), CLTS (Community-Led Total Sanitation), ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development), group discussions, handouts, and demonstrations at the spring. On the final day of training, participants will select five families that should benefit from new latrines that have sanitation platforms (concrete pit latrine floors). The sessions will result in the formation of a water user committee that will oversee and maintain the spring protection. It will also result in the education of community health workers who are tasked with educating other neighbors in the village.

Based on our tour of the community, we've decided to highlight water handling and storage, waste disposal, and hand-washing.

Training will also inform the community and selected families on what they can do to help make this project a success. They will mobilize local materials such as bricks, clean sand, hardcore, and ballast. The five selected families will also prepare by sinking a pit for sanitation platforms to be placed over. All community members will work together to make sure that accommodations and food are always provided for the work teams.

Plans: Spring Protection

Community members have agreed to start collecting the materials need for construction. These include sand, rocks, ballast, and hard core. When our artisans arrive, families living around the spring will offer accommodation and food. The community's help with this project will contribute to the ownership and responsibility they take towards the spring protection.

When Ogola Spring is protected, community members will be able to spend valuable time that was previously wasted on more constructive activities. The cases of diarrhea and typhoid will decrease.

Protecting the spring will ensure that the water is safe, adequate and secure. Construction will keep surface runoff and other contaminants out of the water. The sanitation facilities and trainings will also enable, enlighten and build the capacity of the community so that they can take matters into their own hands.

Project Updates


May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Mukhonje Community, Ogola Spring

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.

Trainer Shigali hears a response from a community member

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 Mukhonje, Kenya.

A woman reads an informational pamphlet on COVID-19

We trained more than 25 people on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19. Before there were any reported cases in the area, we worked with trusted community leaders and the Water User Committee to gather community members for the training.

Trainer Karen Maruti leads the hadnwashing session

At the time, social distancing was a new concept, and one that challenges cultural norms. Although community members were hesitant to adopt social distancing during the training, we sensitized them on its importance and effectiveness in combating the spread of the virus.

Trainer Karen rinses her hands during the demonstration

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.

A community member demonstrates handwashing

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.

Children home due to school closures attended training too

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point, along with a sign with reminders of what we covered.

A woman poses a scenario to the trainer for feedback

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.

Everyone focused on Trainer Shigali in center

We continue to stay in touch with this community as the pandemic progresses. We want to ensure their water point remains functional and their community stays informed about the virus.

Trainer Shigali drives a point home

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, 2017: A Year Later: Ogola Spring

A year ago, generous donors helped protect Ogola Spring in Mukhonje Village, Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner Christine Luvandwa with you.




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!


A Year Later: Ogola Spring

December, 2017

These days, less time is spent and more is used for studying. My grades have improved!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Mukhonje Community 3.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Mukhonje Community 3 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 protect Ogola Spring in Mukhonje Village, Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner Christine Luvandwa with you.


The community living around Ogola Spring is feeling happy and secure as they drink clean water from their protected spring. Before last year, they were constantly worried about their health and especially the health of their children.

Sorophina, having filled her container with clean water from Ogola Spring.

We met with Sorophina Dinda at Ogola Spring to talk about how life in Mukhonje has changed with clean water. She said, "The users of this water have increased since the spring was protected; now people from the neighboring village are all coming to get water from our spring. This makes us line up to get the water. We cannot chase them away because they are our immediate neighbors and we will need their help in other areas."

16-year-old Judith Omala has been benefiting from the clean water too. "As a primary school student, I now have an easy time fetching water for our home. I used to have a hard time because we had to fetch water using small containers, and it was challenging as other users left the water dirty and I had to wait for it to settle. This all cut into my study time. These days, less time is spent and more is used for studying. My grades have improved!" she rejoiced.


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 Mukhonje Community 3 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 Mukhonje Community 3 – 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

1 individual donor(s)