Rehabilitation Project
Sadly, the 435 students and staff of Zululu Primary School are intimately familiar with the consequences of only having access to dirty drinking water.
"Earlier this year, we lost two pupils after they became ill due to drinking contaminated water from the nearby stream. Both presented typhoid-like symptoms, but they succumbed before proper medical intervention could be done," shared 34-year-old teacher Erick Ombuge.
"No one should ever have to get sick due to drinking contaminated water. This is something that we shouldn't even be talking about in the 21st century. Personally, I feel such challenges should be addressed once and for all," he continued.
Teacher Erick Ombuge by the contaminated spring.
The school's only available water sources are an unpredictable, costly, and unreliable piped water tap and a few rainwater collection tanks that sit dry for much of the year. The lack of sufficient water on the school campus forces students to daily collect water from a nearby stream—the same contaminated stream that led to tragedy for a couple of their classmates.
"The source of piped water in our school is the same that the surrounding community relies on. Whenever we lack water at school it means the community also doesn't have access to this precious commodity. For this reason, we have to ask students to bring water from home, and that leaves them with only one alternative, which is to collect from the nearby stream. This makes most of them arrive at school tired and with soiled uniforms, which leads to [a] lack of concentration in class," shared Erick.
The students detest the arduous task of collecting water from the stream but do not have a choice.
"In our case, water controls daily activities. The lack of it means we have to adjust our schedule to create time for students to search for the same. We have to ask students to line up to collect water, and that leads [to] competition, whereby they push each other. Sometimes, the push and pull results in fights and injuries. It's very difficult to control them since none of them wants to be the last in the queue," said Erick.
Students and staff are missing valuable learning time when they have to spend so much time outside the classroom collecting water, water that will very likely make them ill, if not worse. They need a closer, reliable water source that can provide them with clean water that they can drink without worrying it will make them ill.
Steps Toward a Solution
Our technical experts worked with the local community to identify the most effective solution to their water crisis. They decided to drill a borehole well, construct a platform for the well, and attach a hand pump.
Well
Abundant water often lies just beneath our feet. Aquifers—natural underground rivers—flow through layers of sediment and rock, offering a constant supply of safe water. A borehole well is drilled deep into the earth to access this naturally filtered and protected water. We penetrate meters, sometimes even hundreds of meters, of soil, silt, rock, and more to reach the water underground. Once found, we construct a platform for the well and attach a hand pump. The community gains a safe, enclosed water source capable of providing approximately five gallons of water per minute. Learn more here!
Handwashing Stations
Alongside each water source, we install two gravity-fed handwashing stations, enabling everyone at the school to wash their hands. Handwashing is crucial for preventing water-related illnesses within the school and community. Student “health clubs” maintain the stations, fill them with water, and supply them with soap, which we often teach them how to make.
Latrines
We will construct two Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine blocks designed to prevent fecal disease transmission. Each latrine features a cement floor, making it easy to use and clean regularly. Three stalls will serve the girls, and three will serve the boys.
School Education & Ownership
Hygiene and sanitation training are integral to our water projects. Training is tailored to each school's specific needs and includes key topics such as proper water handling, improved hygiene practices, disease transmission prevention, and care of the new water point.
To ensure a lasting impact, we support forming a student health club composed of elected student representatives and a teacher. These clubs promote hygiene practices schoolwide and keep handwashing stations well-stocked. This student-led model encourages a sense of ownership and responsibility.
Safe water and improved hygiene habits foster a healthier future for everyone in the school and the surrounding community.
