Rehabilitation Project
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ST VERONICA WEONIA PRIMARY SCHOOL
Sikhendu sits on the slopes of Mount Elgon, accessed via mud roads off the main potholed tarmac road from Kitale to Webuye. From Sikhendu there are amazing views over this area of Western Kenya, surrounded by different varieties of trees and even the occasional field of sunflowers in season. Sikhendu borders the areas of Kamukuywa and Naitiri, and is not far from Kiminini.
Sikhendu is known as a peaceful area, and some people fled and stayed in Sikhendu during the post election violence of 2007. The majority of people in Sikhendu rely on subsistence farming, growing crops such as maize, beans, sweet potatoes and local vegetables such as sukuma-wiki which is a bit like spinach. A few farmers manage to rear cows or goats for dairy products. The area is fertile and good for growing a variety of crops.
The young (and even the more senior) villagers of Sikhendu are partial to sports and you will often find a game of football, volleyball or netball taking place. The area has even produced a national volleyball star called Violet Baras, and also boasts a squad of people living with a disability who meet regularly to play wheelchair volleyball.
Everlyne Wafula is a farmer and a resident of Sirisia village in Weonia location. One week ago, she was diagnosed with typhoid as a result of taking contaminated water from the only spring available in the village.
Her case exemplifies the suffering of the people of Weonia location due to poor sanitation (lack of proper toilets) and the consumption of water from unsafe sources. The problem is compounded by the distance that women and children have to cover (over 3 kilometers) to obtain the scarce resource.
The project will benefit over 300 families in the village and 900 pupils from the school who have had to carry water from their homes or from the village spring, plus many other families from surrounding villages.
According to Stephen Kiberenge, the Chairman of the School Committee, the borehole will reduce the time wasted in the search for water, help in construction of the school; the increase of clay works in the village to provide employment, the provision of water to the local Weonia Community Dispensary and encouraging the growth of the local market.
However, problems abound in this village such as a high rate of school dropout (only 3 people in the village have university education) and a general state of poverty among the people. It is hoped that the introduction of clean water will be the catalyst for a series of improvements in living conditions and a move out of poverty for all in the local communities.
