Rehabilitation Project
This information was provided by our partner IcFEM
Nabing’eng’e Primary School, Naitiri
Naitiri Local Unit borders a number of other local units including Mbakalo, Kiminini, Kamukuywa and Kabuyefwe. Naitiri is a beautiful hilly part of Western Kenya usually receiving good rains, and the area has many small streams and rivers, yet Naitiri is known as an area which greatly suffers from a lack of clean water. There are two small streams close to Nabing’eng’e Primary School and a small number of shallow, hand-dug wells which are currently used as water sources, yet these dry up during the end of the dry season leaving the community sometimes unable even to access this dirty water on which they currently rely.
IcFEM staff members Dominic and Sarah recently visited the site to meet Catherine Khisa – a teacher at the school – and a local farmer, Jacob Mulati, who had agreed to show them around the school site and to give them an introduction into the challenges facing the local community in order to access water. During their visit they also walked to the closest of the streams to demonstrate the poor water quality that is all they currently have available.
There are no major employers or industries in Naitiri and so the majority of people rely on subsistence farming. Jacob indicated that most people grow maize and beans and attempt to breed livestock. There is a small amount of microenterprise activity which centres around the small village shopping street in Nabing’eng’e.
There are particular problems affecting the local villages in the community due to poor water supply, particularly high levels of malaria and typhoid. Catherine said that the responsibility for fetching water would normally be taken by women and children – especially girls – who must regularly walk long distances to bring water to their respective homes. Because of the major shortage of clean water, Catherine said that 10 local villages will use the new borehole as their principle source of water, representing a total of 8,000 people.
Through the provision of clean water, Catherine and Jacob spoke of their hopes for the future. The first impact they spoke of was their dream of being free from typhoid and other diseases caused by poor water which have been very common problems for villagers. Both noted that villagers will have much more time to use each day when not having to walk long distances to the streams and shallow wells, and because of this extra time they suggested that villagers will meet more regularly, helping the community to become more cohesive.
As well as these benefits, some practical opportunities are already being seen by local villagers. Jacob spoke of a hope for the creation and development of tree nurseries which will be aided by extra water for irrigation that will further enhance the environmental stewardship in Naitiri. There was also excitement that all villagers would benefit from the extra water that could be used for crops and consumption by livestock. This should produce higher yields and healthier animals, increasing the incomes for the many local people who live below the poverty line. They just can’t wait for the project to get started!
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