Drilling is going well at Mama Sukuma Project
Jun.10.2010The drilling process is proceeding well at the Mama Sukuma Women’s Group water project near Kakamega, Kenya. This well will serve the local community and a nearby health center.
Project Type: Borehole Well and Hand Pump
Program: Wells for Kenya
Impact: 500 Served
Project Phase:
In Service - May 2010
Functionality Status: Functional
This new well project serves a community of nearly 800 people in the Kakamega area of Western Kenya.
The project is led by and also serves the Mama Sukuma Self Help Women’s group.
Their former water source was a muddy, seasonal and contaminated stream over 4km away (seen below). It took nearly two hours every day, just to collect water from this unsafe source.
That has all changed.
Our implementer in the field filed this report on July 12, 2010 about the day they handed over the project. (unedited)
As you can see, access to clean, safe water can do much more then providing a drink – as critical as that is. Food security, improved health care and even increased construction of better shelter becomes possible.
Water transforms communities.
The drilling process is proceeding well at the Mama Sukuma Women’s Group water project near Kakamega, Kenya. This well will serve the local community and a nearby health center.
Our implementing team recently spent the day with the community and staff of the Mama Sukuma Self Help Group in Western Kenya. In a few weeks, this community will be receiving their new well. To prepare them for this and to ensure the impact of the project is as great as possible, WaSH training (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) is carried out.
Here is the unedited report from our partner…
The chairlady of the group among others were there to receive us as they were really happy to get information and later get clean water which they have been eagerly waiting for long. They together appreciated the efforts Bridge water is doing to make communities get clean water so that they can concentrate on other development issues respectively. After the education as a group they agreed to pass on this information to the other community members beginning with their family members
They felt by getting water close they have more time for other projects they are involved in, when there is drought they will be able to use the water for irrigation especially planting of vegetables. The general acceptance of education is high in all communities and its something we will continue doing to make people make informed choices over their Hygiene and sanitation in relation to the clean water that Bridge water project is providing. May we live to continue to support more communities with the right information and clean water.
Girls and women walk long distances for water when safe water is very often right under their feet! Underground rivers, called aquifers, often contain a constant supply of safe water – but you have to get to it. No matter what machine or piece of equipment is used, all drilling is aiming for a borehole that reaches into an aquifer. If the aquifer has water - and after the well is developed - we are able to pull water to the surface utilizing a hand-pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around 5 gallons of water a minute through a hand-pump.