Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Schools - Kenya

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Dec 2011

Functionality Status:  Water Flowing - Needs Attention

Last Checkup: 08/28/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project has been selected and will be implemented by out partner in Western Kenya, Bridge Water Project. What follows is direct from them, but has been edited for clarity:  

The project is a primary school which is located in Kakamega district. The school’s environment is very hot and dry. During the interview done to one of the school teachers, he said that due to lack of water in the school, most activities like hosting school games, seminars and other activities cannot be done. This as a result damages the motivation of pupils in participating to such activities when proposed to be held in other schools that have water. The school has had a problem of loosing pupils to other schools since parents cannot allow their children to stay in a dry environment without water.

The school has a large piece of land that can be used for gardening, but it’s not possible to plant vegetables because there is no water for irrigation. It’s therefore forced to buy vegetables on daily basis to cater for class seven and eight’s lunch. This becomes very expensive and therefore strenuous for the school.

The pupils of this school have a hard time walking long distances searching for water. This wastes a lot of time for concentrating in their daily lessons hence leading to poor performance.

CURRENT WATER SOURCE

The school accesses a stream which is 2 km away from the school. The water from the stream is turbid hence causing recurring problems of typhoid and cholera. The stream is seasonal and does not produce enough water leading to long queuing. It is also dangerous for pupils to go for water in the stream since it’s located in a bushy area making it insecure. It’s un-fortunate that pupils consume the water directly without treatment. The pupils also carry water from home during the dry seasons.

POPULATION

The school has a population of 616 pupils, 11 teachers and 3 support staff. There is also Madioli Friends Church neighbouring the school with 300 Christians. The community surrounding the school has a population of 300-500 people.

HYGIENE AND SANITATION

The school has few latrines (8 for girls and 6 for boys). 10% of the pupils have shoes while 90% go bare foot to the latrines. The sanitation teacher of the school inspects the children once a week. There is no hand washing in the school due to lack of water. The litter is dumped in a composite pit dug in the school.

We at TWP are delighted to be able to support Bridge Water Project as they embark on this project, and look forward to updating this page in the near future.  

 

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Project Photos


Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!