Derrick Enjoys School Again!

March, 2025

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

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Derrick. Since then, he and the Viyalo Primary School of 391 students have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"It has made our stay in school wonderful. We can wash our hands after visiting latrines when we want to eat or after touching dirty surfaces. This is made possible through [the] availability of enough water in our school."

Before the Well Installation

Like many in Kenya, 16-year-old Derrick is responsible for collecting water to meet daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole his time and negatively affected him.

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 Derrick, in particular, it made going to school every day difficult.

Students hauling water before their well was implemented.

"It was difficult for us, especially when we were sent in the morning to get water for school. The road leading there was wet and made our feet dirty and cold. We experienced [the] challenge of carrying books and water together in the morning to school," he shared.

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 Derrick’s future. By supporting the water solution, you made clean water an everyday reality, fostering hope for a brighter future.

Derrick at the new well.

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!"

"The borehole is next to our class, and [it is] easier to fetch water. It provides us with clean water that haven't had before drilling was done. We feel good about it," Derrick continued.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Derrick and the rest of his school. 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 Derrick a crucial tool for achieving his dreams: access to clean water. Together, we can excitedly expect that with this precious resource, his enthusiasm and courage will help fulfill dreams.

"[I'm] performing extremely well above the expectation. I always have sufficient time to do homework and revisions," Derrick shared. With more time to do his homework and focus on his studies, Derrick's dream of becoming a doctor is more attainable!

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 Viyalo 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 Viyalo 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: 391 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2024

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/06/2025

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Victor Musemi, Field Officer

The 376 students and 11 staff members at Viyalo primary School have no real source of water. The students must trek far distances over rocky, hilly terrain to collect water from an unprotected spring that makes them sick. Water-fetching is such an odious task that students hide from their parents and teachers and skip class in order to avoid it.

"Since I joined this school, we have really faced challenges concerning access to clean and safe water," explained student Daisy (shown fetching water below). "[This has] really contributed to absenteeism among pupils."

And it's not only the water scarcity that's contributing to missed classes. Students frequently suffer from water-related illnesses due to drinking the unprotected surface water. The most frequent complaints are cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, and sore throats.

"As a teacher from this school, I really spend much of my time supervising pupils to fetch water," said 36-year-old teacher Pascal Magono (shown below filling his water container). "The water source is also not safe for pupils to go [to] alone due to its bushes and strangers on the road. The entire school's hygiene is not done well due to the lack of enough water."

Because fetching water takes so much time and effort, the students fetch less of it than the school really needs. This results in dehydrated students, missed classes, and dirty facilities. This environment hurts students' long-term health and prevents learning rather than contributing to it.

"[We have] poor performance due to [a] lack of enough time to study," said Daisy. "Manual cleaning is not done enough for the entire school, hence [our] hygiene is not up to standard."

A borehole on school grounds will significantly cut down on the amount of time students spend fetching water. The safer water will improve students' health and improve their ability to learn.

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


March, 2024: Viyalo Primary School Well Complete!

We are excited to share that Viyalo 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.


"[The] time for real change is now. [I] am glad that my life will change, i.e., minimal time-wasting, hence concentration in class. No more carrying water to school or going to collect outside the school. The hygiene standards will improve, i.e., cleaning on a daily basis, making it conducive for learning. Aiming high in academics will also propel me to [be] a champion of cleanliness in our school and the village," said Stacy K.

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

Celebrating clean water!

"As a teacher, this will help me ensure that syllabus coverage is done on time, no more teaching half of the class, and the school program will run smoothly without any challenges concerning water, i.e., cooking on time, cleaning the classes daily. My main focus will be ensuring pupils excel in my subject and secure greater opportunity after school," said Japheth Asogo.

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 100 meters with a final static water level of 9 meters.

The drilling process can take up to three consecutive days 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.

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 Victor Musemi and Joel Otuya deployed to the site to lead the event. 22 students and teachers attended the training, which we held outside a classroom under a shade tree.


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.

The training participants.

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.

The students were excited about the soap-making session and the new knowledge learned during the session. They found it especially interesting that they could make soap using locally available materials. The hygiene and sanitation teacher assigned a group of students to spearhead soap-making within the school so they do not need to buy soap anymore.


"To me, the entire learning process was a great milestone. This will help me ensure our weaknesses as a school in terms of hygiene and sanitation are greatly improved," said Japheth.

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!




January, 2024: Viyalo Primary School Well Underway!

The lack of adequate water at Viyalo 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

4 individual donor(s)