Water Gives Esther Time to Focus on Her Studies!

June, 2024

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

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Esther. Since then, she and the Muchanja Primary School Community of 665 students have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"Our water source has enough water and with just [a] few strokes you get the water. The water is also sweet and doesn't have a smell," said Esther.

Before the Well Installation

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

The previous water source.

Drinking the water caused severe consequences. Many in her 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 Esther, in particular, it lessened her opportunity to focus on school.

"[The] water source was far. We had to carry heavy jerricans and many times it was so hard. I, personally, got demoralized with going to school as a result," said Esther.

"We had to line up with villagers and share the water source. Sometimes we could find them washing clothes and the place looked filthy but we just had to step in the soapy, muddy puddles to get to the water point."

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

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!"

"My health has improved, [and] no more missing school due to sickness. I now have peace of mind and can be in school comfortably. My hygiene has changed. I wash my hands often. We have [a] steady supply of water and as a girl, we can comfortably bathe and [be] refreshed in school," said Esther.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Esther and the rest of her school 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 Esther 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 fulfill dreams.

"I have had more time to focus on my education. I am reading more and I am involved in school activities. I believe these will elevate my wholesome growth and improve [my] classwork. [In] my free time I engage with my fellow students in group work, sometimes we play games and do other related activities," said Esther.

"I dream of being a nurse so that I will take care of the sick and eventually give back to my community."

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 Muchanja 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 Muchanja 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: 684 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 10/16/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Rose Serete, Field Officer

The 665 students of Muchanja Primary School have no water source on their campus, leaving them without reliable water to meet their daily needs. At 6 am every morning, students take jerricans to a nearby spring to collect water.

Several hazards await students attempting to collect water. Access is challenging, especially during the rainy season when the surrounding area becomes slippery and dangerous. The spring is overcrowded because it serves as the primary water source for both the school and the surrounding community members. The spring is also seasonal with low discharge, causing everyone to wait for the water in long lines.

Once the students fill their containers, they trek back to school, which is exhausting. Very often, the water students have worked so hard to obtain is contaminated.

Drinking contaminated water often leaves students suffering from water-related illnesses such as diarrhea and stomachaches. Students' absences cause them to fall behind academically, which can be devastating in the long run. And teachers, too, end up afflicted with debilitating water-related illnesses.

"As a teacher, I have lost momentum to be in school because most of the time [I] am in [the] hospital ailing and my family has paid a lot of money for my medication," said teacher Philip Sindoni (shown above).

Student Phyllis C. (shown collecting water at the spring above), 12, shared, "Most of the time [I] am in [the] hospital, which leads to being absent in school. I have lost morale [since] my performance has really dropped."

The students of Muchanja need a reliable, safe water source that will save them valuable time and enable them to learn and work towards brighter futures.

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 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 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, 2023: Muchanja Primary School Well Project Complete!

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

"I will use the shortest time possible to get water and rest assured that I will remain at school throughout since we shall [be] sure with our source compared to [our] initial state where we were not sure [about] the source of water," said 14-year-old Dickson M. "As pupils, we are planning to start a kitchen garden where we can plant vegetables and sell to our teachers. By so doing, we shall have some income to support one another."

Dickson at the new well.

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

"[I] am the happiest person. With water within our school compound, everything has been made easy. I will no longer waste time following pupils up and down to ensure they bring clean water. Our water is clean, and we shall have humble time for study and this will help us improve on our academic performance," said 37-year-old teacher Philip Sindani.

Philip drinks from the new well.

How We Got the Water Flowing

Parents, staff, and students all played a part in 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, and the students went home from class for the weekend (drilling is very loud!), 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 80 meters with a final static water level of 12 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.

People of all ages came to watch the well’s progress.

Once we reached the required depth, the team replaced the temporary casing with a permanent version, 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!
When the students and teachers arrived back at school, their enthusiasm for this much-anticipated project was overwhelming. We officially handed over the new borehole to the school.

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 Joel deployed to the site to lead the event. 24 students and teachers attended the training, which we held under some shade trees on the school compound during a school break.


Our training covered several topics, including personal hygiene, oral hygiene, the ten steps of handwashing, environmental hygiene, child rights, leadership, and operation and maintenance of the well and pump, latrines, and handwashing stations.

Students elected their peers to lead their student health club during the leadership session. 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 turned [out] to be our most memorable topic because both teachers and pupils had not seen how soap is made. To them, one needs to have very big machines connected to electricity. They didn't believe that it [could] be made manually," said our field officer Rose Serete.

Practicing handwashing.

"[I] am very happy to be one of the pupils who attended the training. I have really learned a lot on matters of hygiene and sanitation. I will be able to share with my family members and friends at school when we resume," said 13-year-old student Phylis C. "I believe when we follow whatever we're taught, there will be a great change in our life, and [our] rate of diseases will go down."

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members themselves. 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 our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of 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, 2023: Muchanja Primary School Borehole Well Underway!

A severe clean water shortage at Muchanja Primary School drains students’ time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this school through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




Project Photos



Contributors

Power of Clean Water
The Kastango Family Charitable Fund
Fishing Creek Baptist Church
United Way of the Capital Region
Washington State Combined Fund Drive
Bulkin Charitable Fund
71 individual donor(s)