Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 826 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2024

Functionality Status:  Functional

Project Features


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The students at Kamashia Primary School are tired of trying to collect enough water to meet their school's needs. With a large population of 811 students and 15 staff, the need for sufficient drinking water and additional water for cooking, cleaning, and maintaining hygiene is overwhelming.

There is a hand-dug well and several small plastic rainwater tanks on the school campus, but neither of the sources can provide adequate, safe water to meet the demand.

"As a teacher, I have to be so careful on the water I drink every day here at the school to avoid a scenario where I have to miss my lessons due to being sick," said 56-year-old teacher Joshua Ooko (shown in the photo below). "I have decided [to] always carry my own drinking water from home to avoid any occurrence that may threaten my life."

During the rainy season, water collects in the rainwater tanks that students use for drinking (shown below). But unfortunately, the tanks are not regularly cleaned, and rotten leaves wash into them from the gutters contaminating the water. Students and teachers alike complain of headaches and stomachaches from consuming it.

Our field officer, Laodia Chebet, reported, "Water from the plastic tanks, though [it] looks clean physically has [a] smell and tiny particles with [a] presence of worm-like organisms which clearly shows that the water is not safe for drinking."

"The current state of water in our school is very saddening because I have to consume bad water," said 10-year-old Sharon A. (in the photo below).

The shallow hand-dug well (shown below) within the school compound is protected, but it does not provide enough water, especially during the dry season when the water table falls drastically and there is no water to pump.

The lack of water means students shoulder the responsibility of finding and collecting water every day for the school to continue operating. They wake up early to find water to bring with them to school, and when that runs out, they are sent out during class time to search for more water.

"I carry books on one hand and water on the other hand, which is tedious to me and makes me come to school late, where the teachers punish us mercilessly," said Sharon.

Sharon recounted a story to our field officer about a time she arrived late for school on a Friday because she was exhausted from carrying water all week, and when she tried to explain to her teacher, it fell on deaf ears. "I accepted the punishment but deep in my heart, was praying for a day that God will do a miracle for us so as to be free from punishment," concluded Sharon.

The school needs a well of its own so students can be freed from the burden of providing water and 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 season.

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 hand-pump. Once finished, the school’s students and staff will use water from the well for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.

The school and we 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 unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.

Handwashing Stations

The student health club will oversee two new handwashing stations we will provide and ensure 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

Two triple-door latrine blocks will be constructed with local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will serve the girls, and three doors will serve the boys. These new latrines will have cement floors designed to be easy to use and clean. And with a new well 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 disease 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 various 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 home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and promote good hygiene practices within the school, including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up training 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: Kamashia Primary School Well Complete!

We are excited to share that Kamashia 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.

"Access to reliable and safe water from this water point will change my life positively since I will not be sent out of school to look for water for cleaning and drinking from the secondary or, at times, home. My goal is to achieve the best grades in my studies since my work has been made easy with the availability of water within the school compound," said 15-year-old Sharon.

Sharon.

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

"Access to this reliable water source will impact my life positively. This is because from today henceforth, I will be able [to] drink water from the school compound, unlike before [when] I used to carry water from home for drinking," said 51-year-old teacher Joshua Ooko.

"Secondly, I will be able to save time wasted for learning by ensuring the students fetch water from the borehole very early every day since we have water within the school compound. My goal is to ensure we cover the syllabus on time and prepare the students for exams. I also plan to start a school garden program to help us generate some income from the sale of farm produce," continued Joshua.

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.

Work beginning.

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 60 meters with a final static water level of 7 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.

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. The ceremony started with the school chaplain, who offered a prayer, and then students gave dance and song presentations. Everyone joined in dancing a traditional folk song by shaking their shoulders as they were filled with joy.

U.S. staff members Spencer Bogle, the Director of Program, and Sam Ngidwe, the Program Officer, were visiting Kenya during the project's dedication.

The school head teacher gave his remarks, and he explained the challenges that the school faced before the completion of the waterpoint. An example was given of how some girls dropped out of school due to a lack of privacy and missing doors, but with their new latrines, that's no longer an issue. The students danced with joy because their dreams had come true. The Junior Secondary school chairman, excited to meet Spencer and Sam in person, was ecstatic and contributed great joy to the celebration. 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 Laodia, Adelaide, Elvine, and Protus deployed to the site to lead the event. 19 students and teachers attended the training, which we held in one of the classrooms.


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.

"The training was of much value to me, since from today, I will be able to maintain good personal hygiene practices such as washing my clothes and bathing at least twice a day as thought by the trainers," said 12-year-old Victor W.

Learning the proper way to wash hands.

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: Kamashia Primary School New Well Underway!

The lack of adequate water at Kamashia 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


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!


Contributors

Project Sponsor - Jacki and Rob
MTY
Fort International
2 individual donor(s)