Mr. Avedi and His Students Have the Tools to Thrive!

December, 2024

A year ago, your generous donation helped the Kaptisi Primary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Mr. Avedi and his students. Thank you!

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Mr. Gaylord Avedi and his students. Since then, he and the Kapitisi Primary School of 604 students and staff have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"Safe and clean water makes us happy because we have minimal disease caused by germs," teacher Gaylord Avedi shared.

Before the Well Installation

Like many in Kenya, 40-year-old Gaylord Avedi is responsible for collecting water to meet his daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole his time and negatively affected him.

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 Mr. Avedi, in particular, it lessened his opportunity to give his students a full education, as they were often absent, looking for water to collect. The water they did manage to find often made them ill, keeping them out of school even longer.

"The learners used to get dirty water from the stream since it was used by [the] local community for irrigation and animal use. At some time during [the] dry season, the stream used to dry up, forcing pupils to walk long [a] distance to fetch water," Mr. Avedi 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 Mr. Avedi and this school’s future. By supporting the new well, you made clean water an everyday reality, fostering hope for a brighter future.

Mr. Avedi at the 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 life at school, as teachers, has been easier since we have sufficient water for cleaning of classrooms and latrines done on time. Most learners are always present in class and have enhanced syllabus coverage," he continued.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Mr. Avedi 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 Mr. Avedi a crucial tool: access to clean water. Together, we can excitedly expect that with this precious resource, his enthusiasm and courage will help him fulfill his dreams.

"The school has managed to plant some vegetables in a garden, which they used for the feeding program. This really saved the cost used in buying vegetables and also enhances learners with the learning programs," he concluded.

Student watering their garden, thanks to clean water access!

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 Kaptisi 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 Kaptisi 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: 604 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Nov 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 11/07/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Rose Serete, Field Officer

The 583 students and 21 teachers of Kaptisi Primary School do not have a reliable, safe water source. Instead, they must rely on the water they can find around the community, but what they collect is making everyone ill and stealing their health, time, and financial resources.

Students bring water from home each morning, but what they can carry is not sufficient to meet the school's daily needs for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.

So every morning, after arriving early to school, the older students leave the school campus to supplement the water from a nearby stream. Yet still, it is never enough, students and teachers are left thirsty, and the school goes uncleaned.

The pool of water (shown above) where older students collect water each morning is small but popular in the community, so pupils waste valuable time waiting in long lines. Once it is finally their turn, they must go through the painstakingly slow process of laying their containers sideways in the muddy water to fill up since the pool is so shallow.

But sadly, regardless of all of the student's tireless efforts, their hard work only offers contaminated water, and everyone is suffering by consuming it.

"This current water situation has affected my work plans because most of the time [I] am in hospital [and] this causes me to be out of the school most of [the] time. As a class teacher of class six, [I] am so demoralized," said 41-year-old teacher Gaylord Avedi Kibande, shown below, collecting water.

"[I] am personally affected because most of the time [I] am either at [the] hospital or at home receiving medication. There is a drop in my performance because of absenteeism. This has resulted [in] me repeating the same class," said 14-year-old Joyce M., shown below carrying water.

Hopefully, by installing a well at Kaptisi Primary School, everyone can regain their health, families can regain their resources, and students can get back to learning.

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: Kaptisi Primary School Well Complete!

We are excited to share that Kaptisi 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.

"It will give me trust and confidence when using it because it is safe for use. I won't be thirsty since water is always available. Also, I will enjoy coming to school because the burden of carrying water to school is reduced. Our sanitation activities around the school will improve," said 15-year-old Joyce M.

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

"Water from this source will help us to irrigate our kitchen garden in the school. We also have small plots that we use for learning purposes. With water in school, we won't rely majorly on rain. The water will also help us to expand [the] infrastructure in school through construction. As a teacher, I hope this will be a game changer in the school in terms of time management. This will also help reduce absenteeism among pupils who usually report diseases," said 42-year-old teacher Gaylord Avede.

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 90 meters with a final static water level of 8.6 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 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.

"Kapitsi Primary School and the community at large are so grateful because the project is completed, and they are enjoying the flow of water," said Field Officer Rose Serete.

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 Rose and Mary deployed to the site to lead the event. 22 students and teachers attended the training, which we held under a shade tree on the school compound.


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 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.

Soap-making was a memorable session. The pupils were eager to learn the process and actively engaged in the session.

"It has helped me to know my rights as a child that will grant me courage and confidence in the world. Also, I have learned a soap-making technique. This will help me start the process of soap making, and at the end, I will sell [it] and get some money," said 14-year-old Emmanuel W.

Emmanuel.

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: Kaptisi Primary School Well Project Underway!

The lack of adequate water at Kaptisi 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)