Mary Dreams of Being a Champion for Others!

November, 2024

A year ago, your generous donation helped the Kaptieni Primary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Mary. Thank you!

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Mary. Since then, she and the Kaptieni Primary School of 443 students have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"Since this project was completed, I have not experienced any sickness related to water, and this has [given me] a chance of not missing school," Mary.

Mary at the well with her teacher.

Before the Well Installation

Like many in Kenya, 12-year-old Mary is responsible for collecting water to meet her daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole her time and negatively affected her.

The previous water source.

Drinking the water caused severe consequences. Many in the community suffered from waterborne diseases that created health problems, affecting their daily lives. Limited accessibility also meant people wasted time collecting sufficient water to meet their needs. The difficult journey to collect water sapped their physical and emotional energy, creating roadblocks. For Mary, in particular, it lessened her opportunity to focus on her education.

"Water collected outside [school] was not enough [or] safe for use. I could get tired of carrying water from home to school. The school activities could not be achieved on time [or] up to standard because of lack of enough water," Mary continued.

Since the Well Installation

Your generous gift last year was much more than a simple donation; it was a powerful statement about your commitment to this community and Mary’s future. By supporting the water solution, you made clean water an everyday reality, fostering hope for a brighter future.

Mary collecting clean water!

Reliable and clean water lays the groundwork for improved health, education, and economic possibilities, allowing people to thrive. We frequently hear from those we interview that "water is life!"

"Access to clean water is easily available, [and there is] not much time-wasting or overcrowding at the waterpoint. I have done tremendously well in my weak subjects, such as mathematics and science, which I used to fail. This has been done through the help of a teacher in [a] group discussion which we normally attend," she shared.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Mary and the rest of her community. This is just the first chapter of their story as access to clean water continues to improve their lives!

At The Water Project, we value sustainability and want to ensure that people continue to thrive. We commit to monitoring this project to ensure the water is always flowing and safe to consume. We inspect the system hardware, track water availability, conduct sanitary inspections, and collect water quality samples to identify risks. We work with our team on the ground to resolve them.

You gave Mary a crucial tool for achieving her dreams: access to clean water. Together, we can excitedly expect that with this precious resource, her enthusiasm and courage will help her fulfill her dreams.

"I would like to be a teacher who can champion other people life's and bring changes to the community," Mary concluded.

Mary is filled with hope for the future.

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 Kaptieni Primary 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 Kaptieni Primary 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.

Project Status



Project Type: Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 443 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Nov 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 10/05/2024

Project Features


Click icons to learn about each feature.



Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Jonathan Mutai, Community Engagement Officer

The 428 students and 15 staff of Kaptieni Primary School face challenges with no water source on their school property, causing students to waste valuable time each day collecting water off the school grounds.

There are two community water sources used to meet their daily water needs: a stream and a spring. The water from the stream is used to clean classrooms and latrines, and the water from the spring is used for drinking, but both places require a lot of work to collect questionable water.

"When water comes from improved and more accessible sources, people spend less time and effort in physically collecting it, meaning they can be productive in other ways." - WHO

The surface water from the stream is dirty because it is exposed, and those living near it contaminate it with their day-to-day activities like farming, washing clothes, bathing, and allowing their animals to drink.

It seems the spring was protected in the past, but in its current weakened state, the water is less than ideal for consumption.

When we spoke to the headteacher, 42-year-old Maurice Too (shown below), he said, "Lesson interference as a result of sending students out of the school to fetch water has been one of the greatest challenges, which, at one time, almost brought conflict to teachers themselves, and I had to intervene."

And 16-year-old student Margaret M. (shown below) agreed. "I have not been getting enough time to complete my homework because of the similar water challenge at my home. And when I arrive at the school in the morning trying to finish my assignment, we are also being sent for water outside the school compound, leaving me in [a] dilemma."

Mr. Too also shared, "Some students have left [the] school for another neighbouring school which does not have water challenges as we do have here. Also, most of the students lack [the] morale of coming to school. Some have developed a negative attitude towards schooling because they hate going for water outside the school compound. Going for water outside is tiresome and consumes a lot of students' precious time for studies."

He continued: "Besides that, the ministry of education wants us to have enough water for washing hands to fight [the] COVID-19 pandemic in the school. Yet they don't provide support for the installation of a reliable water point in the school, so we have been straining to make sure we have water for washing hands and fit all [the] chores in the school, hence wasting a lot of time scheduled for lessons."

"The school is in dire need of a reliable water point in the school compound, and getting a borehole with a hand pump will help them have access to safe water not only for drinking but also for general chores within the school throughout the school year," concluded our field officer Jonathan Mutai.

What We Can Do:

New Well

We conducted a hydrogeological survey at this school and the results indicated the water table beneath it is an ideal candidate for a borehole well. Due to a borehole well's unique ability to tap into a safe, year-round water column, it will be poised to serve all of the water needs for this school's large population, even through the dry months.

The school will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, rocks, and water for mixing cement. They will also provide housing and meals for the work team, in addition to providing local laborers. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans and drilling professionals, tools, hardware, and the hand-pump. Once finished, water from the well will then be used by the school's students and staff for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.

Handwashing Stations

The student health club will oversee the two new handwashing stations we will provide, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The club leaders will fill the handwashing stations with water daily and make sure they are always supplied with a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.

VIP Latrines

We will construct two triple-door latrine blocks using local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will serve the girls and three doors will serve the boys. All of these new latrines will have cement floors that are designed to be easy to use and to clean. And with a borehole right on school property, there should be enough water to keep them clean.

Training on Health, Hygiene, COVID-19, and More

We will hold a one-day intensive training session with students, teachers, and parents. This training will cover a wide range of topics including COVID-19 symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention; personal and environmental hygiene; and the operation and maintenance of the borehole, latrines, and handwashing stations. There will be a special emphasis on handwashing.

Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train, including participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, and asset-based community development. We will initiate a student health club, which will prepare students to lead other pupils into healthy habits at school and at home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions, and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good hygiene practices within the school including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.

We and the school strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve standards at this school, which will help lead to better student academic performance and will help unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.

Project Updates


November, 2023: Kaptieni Primary School Well Complete!

We are excited to share that Kaptieni Primary School in Kenya now has access to a new safe water source thanks to the completion of their borehole well! Students and staff are already using the well's flowing water, which will provide them with a reliable water source for all of their daily needs.

We also installed new latrines and handwashing stations and trained students and staff on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.

"We will be learning in clean and conducive classrooms because cleanliness will be done on [a] regular basis. And more so, [we're] drinking clean water; thus, [we] will not be prone to water-related diseases as we used to be before. The water point will help me get adequate time for playing with my colleagues as opposed to before because much of our time meant for games was used for water outside the school," said 13-year-old Esther O.

Esther.

Teachers were just as excited as the students about the new well on campus.

"The water that we were using before was not good. Now that we have clean water, health-wise [we] will improve, and the money we were using for treatment will reduce because of reduced infectious diseases related to water," said headteacher Maurice Too.

Maurice Too.

"As a school, the students will have good health and save and utilize time they have been wasting going for water outside the school premises. The school will also attract more learners from the nearby school, which still has water challenges, and also, there will be a retention of learners who could have shifted to other schools because of the challenges like going for water outside the school compound," he continued.

How We Got the Water Flowing

Parents, staff, and students all contributed to this well's success. After determining the best site for the well through a hydrogeological survey, we obtained approval and a license from the government to begin drilling.

To prepare, the school collected fine sand and water for cement-making. When everything was ready, our drill team and staff arrived at the school to begin work.

Drilling commenced with excitement in the air. The team drove down a temporary casing to keep the walls from collapsing as the rig progressed. We continued drilling to reach a final depth of 96 meters with a final static water level of 92 meters.

The drilling process can take up to three consecutive days to complete due to this region's hard bedrock, so the drill team set up a camp where they could rest and refuel. The school's kitchen staff and parents helped provide meals for the team, while the school provided a safe place for the artisans' accommodations and materials.

Once we reached the required depth, the team replaced the temporary casing with a permanent version and then bailed out the dirty water at the bottom of the well. The workers installed pipes, flushed them, tested the well's yield, and chlorinated the water.

After water treatment, we constructed a cement well pad to seal off the well from any ground-level contaminants. Tiles are installed beneath the spout to protect the cement from the erosive force of the water.

We also included a short drainage channel to carry spilled water away from the pump and prevent standing water. A soak pit absorbs runoff at the end of the drainage channel, further eliminating any stagnant water.

When the well pad was dry, we installed a new stainless steel AfriDev handpump and sampled the water for a quality test. The results showed this water was safe for drinking!

We officially handed over the new borehole to the school's students and teachers.

"The school headteacher appreciated the donors who enabled them [to] eliminate the water challenges in [their] school. Drilling of [the] borehole in this school has marked a new chapter. According to the school headteacher, one week after drilling works were completed, a number of parents who had shifted their kids to the neighboring school have been streaming [back] to seek readmission of their kids," said field officer Jonathan Mutai.

Students and staff celebrated the presence of clean water on campus. The event was an excellent chance to acknowledge the school administration and students as the primary parties entrusted with the tools we have given and remind them of our continued support as they develop. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions.

VIP Latrines

This project funded the installation of six new ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines. These new latrines have cement floors designed to be easy to use and clean, locking doors for safety and privacy, and vents to keep air flowing up and out through the roof. With a well right on school property, there should be enough water to keep them clean.

Handwashing Stations

We set up two handwashing stations outside the latrines and handed them over to the newly formed student health club. Health club members will teach other students how to wash their hands at the stations properly, fill the stations with water, and ensure that there is always a cleaning agent available.

New Knowledge

We scheduled hygiene and sanitation training with the school's staff, who ensured that the training date would be convenient for pupils and teachers. When the training day arrived, facilitators Jonathan Mutai and Nelly Chebet deployed to the site to lead the event. 22 students and teachers attended the training, which we held in a classroom under construction.

Learning about well maintenance.

We focused on personal, menstrual, oral, and environmental hygiene; proper water handling; soap-making and the ten steps of handwashing; the importance of primary health care, the prevention of teen pregnancy and COVID-19; child rights; the operation and maintenance of the pump, well, latrines, and handwashing stations; and leadership and governance. During the latter, the students elected their peers to lead their newly formed student health club.

Learning about proper dental hygiene.

The student health club members will encourage good health and hygiene practices amongst their peers, teachers, and the larger community. By the end of the training, each pupil understood their role in sustaining clean water and good health within their school community.

Tobias.

"The knowledge on [the] operation and maintenance [of the well] will help us to maintain the project well, having known [the] do's and don't's pertaining to wash projects in schools. Also, the training will trickle down [to] the classes for the rest of students to have knowledge too so as for [the] project to last longer and reduce the cost of maintenance," said 38-year-old teacher Tobias Oduol.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members. When an issue arises concerning the well, the students and teachers are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. 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!




October, 2023: Kaptieni Primary School Well Underway!

The lack of adequate water in at Kaptieni Primary School costs students time, energy, and health every single day. Clean water scarcity contributes to community instability and diminishes individuals’ personal progress.

But thanks to your recent generosity, things will soon improve here. We are now working to install a reliable water point and improve hygiene standards. We look forward to sharing inspiring news in the near future!




Project Photos



Contributors

2 individual donor(s)