Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2016

Functionality Status:  Low/No Water or Mechanical Breakdown

Last Checkup: 03/19/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Africa Sand Dam Foundation. Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Background Information

This area has an approximate population of 500 community members from 24 different households.

For a normal day, fetching water takes a big chunk of the available hours. Monday, Saturday and Sunday are the primary days for fetching water. On Tuesday and Thursday, parents of students in the area meet for child sponsorship projects. Wednesday is the market day.

The Kyusyani Self-Help Group started in 2015. Mwikali Muteti, the secretary of the group explains, "Water was the major challenge. From River Tyaa, one took more than three hours. At the river, we had to queue to over eight hours. We used to help each other in terrace-digging in our farms and when we started working with the organization, they showed us how to dig the standard ones and also apply manure to improve yields in our farms. We also used to help each other in paying school fees for our children. Since we started working as a group, we constructed a sand dam then established a vegetable plot. The benefits are that we have water close to our homes, to me, I am very close to the sand dam. The environment is green now along the river compared to before."

She concludes by saying that "There’s a big difference in my home. I have planted trees in my farm and again after the farming training, my farm is different from my neighbor's. In the future, now that we have water, we will never suffer again. Our children are happy after the yields are big in our farms. Our major challenge was members not attending the group and also water was a challenge. [But] we are now 24 members."

The county government has initiated a number of water projects in the entire Kitui county. In this particular area, the government commissioned the excavation of a borehole, but the water turned out to be too saline for drinking. The county officials have deemed sand dams and hand-dug wells to be feasible projects, as they will effectively support uses beyond just drinking e.g. farming and watering livestock.

The Current Source

During the water-fetching days, families fetch water over two trips to cushion them against the other days they don't travel to the water point. These days are characterised by long lines at each of the water stations. These stations are scoop holes at the River Tyaa, where the self-help group built their first sand dam. 20-liter jerrycans are used to fetch water, and are cleaned when at the river by swishing sand and water around. When locals get this water home, they keep it in the same fetching container until it is all gone. Most families boil the river water before drinking, but cases of typhoid and amoeba illnesses have been reported.

Sanitation Situation

Over 75% of households have pit latrines made of mud walls and earth floors. About the same number of people have dish racks and clotheslines built to dry their things off the ground. Previous interventions by other groups left out water projects and concentrated only on waste disposal. The community is more aware of proper waste disposal, but lacks knowledge on basic hygiene practices like hand-washing and water treatment.

Solution: Hand-Dug Well

This is the first project ASDF has done with this community. The community will be responsible for preparing before construction begins, gathering local materials such as sand and stones, and finding enough people to volunteer as labor. The self-help group and their families have already shared their willingness to do so, as well as maintain the well after it is installed.

The well will be placed adjacent to the sand dam built by the group. Construction is expected to take one month and consists of digging, walling, lining with concrete, casting a well pad, and installing the Afridev pump.

Training Sessions

The self-help group will be trained for two days using the PHAST (Participatory Health and Sanitation Training) method, presentations, demonstrations, on-site lessons and a transect walk. The transect walk will teach locals to watch for practices that go on and facilities that are present related to good health and hygiene. Sometimes, a participant feels shame when the group arrives at their household and points out things that are unhealthy or unhygienic; but in Kenya, this affects people to make a positive change.

After initial visits to this area, the facilitator decided to focus on raising awareness on the importance of hand-washing and water treatment.

Project Results

Training

The training was held at the community sand dam site. This is where the community usually meets. The point was selected for ease of accessing it by all members of the community. It was organized one month before it actually was done. The training dates were selected in consultation with the community in consideration with other related activities. Since it was going to be a two-day training, the community had to be informed early in advance to ensure that members plan for other activities.

The daily attendance to the training was 28 members (23 females, 5 males). This included members of the self help group, but also members of the community who had not previously been a part of the group. The main topics covered included

  • Water treatment
  • Hand washing
  • Compound hygiene
  • Personal hygiene
  • Methods of disease transmission

Methods used for the training included PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Training), group discussions, diagrams, and presentations. The immediate results of the training were general increased awareness on hygiene and sanitation. The community also developed a simple action plan that emphasizes the activities to be undertaken at the household in order to adhere to the laid standards in the training conducted. The activities included in the action plan involve hand washing and tippy tap construction, utensil rack construction, and rubbish pit construction, among others.

Kakivu Mwedwa, a local farmer, said, "I have learned how basic practices like hand washing can help keep diseases away from the family."

Shallow Well Construction

The shallow well is situated next to the sand, dam providing it with a natural way to recharge as the sand dam matures. The depth of the shallow well reaches the water table level where naturally the underground water will be recharged. Regulations by the community in terms of when water will be fetched, such as a detailed schedule for fetching, water will help regulate the natural recharging process of the shallow well. Periodic water quality tests will be done to ascertain the quality of water.

The construction process took two and a half months due to poor turn out to work by the SHG group members. On average, 4 to 5 members turned up to support the artisans in the construction process. This is because of the members’ involvement in farm activities that were happening at the same time. This year the area received sufficient rains, hence there were good harvests. The excavation of the well also took more time than expected due to the prolonged rains that spilled over to February. The group resorted to hiring casual laborers to be involved in the excavation at a fee. The community provided the labor, stones, sand, and water that was used during construction.

"The construction process was very difficult but seeing the results of our work (water) we are very happy and fulfilled," said Tabitha Muimi, one of the residents.

The project has attracted great support and attention from the local government. The county government was able to excavate the road leading to the water point in order to allow easy access by all the water users. The project has also been used as a bench mark for other organizations intending to invest in sand dams, such as The Kenya Electricity Generating Company(KENGEN). Officials toured the site to learn on how the sand dams and shallow wells have changed lives. They intend to do similar projects in future in their area of operation.

Thank You to all who made this project possible. Thank You for unlocking potential!

Project Updates


May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Kyusyani Community

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.

We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to rural communities like Kyusyani, Kenya.

We trained community members on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19.

Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

We covered essential hygiene lessons:

- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station

- Proper handwashing technique

- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing

- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.

We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What social distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough into an elbow

- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

- How to make and properly wear a facemask.

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point.

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.

Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention. You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.




December, 2017: A Year Later: Kyusyani Hand-Dug Well

A year ago, generous donors helped build a hand-dug well for the Kyusyani Self-Help Group in Kenya. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partners Joseph Kioko and Titus Mbithi with you.




Project Photos


Project Type

Hand-dug wells have been an important source of water throughout human history! Now, we have so many different types of water sources, but hand-dug wells still have their place. Hand dug wells are not as deep as borehole wells, and work best in areas where there is a ready supply of water just under the surface of the ground, such as next to a mature sand dam. Our artisans dig down through the layers of the ground and then line the hole with bricks, stone, or concrete, which prevent contamination and collapse. Then, back up at surface level, we install a well platform and a hand pump so people can draw up the water easily.


"The construction process was very difficult but seeing the results of our work we are very happy and fulfilled."

Tabitha Muimi

A Year Later: Kyusyani Hand-Dug Well

December, 2017

We now fetch water near our homes. It is way easier than walking 15 kilometers to River Tyaa. I now fetch my three liters to carry to school for drinking and cooking.

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Kyusyani Community.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kyusyani Community maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

A year ago, generous donors helped build a hand-dug well for the Kyusyani Self-Help Group in Kenya. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partners Joseph Kioko and Titus Mbithi with you.


Over a year ago, people used to walk 15 kilometers to find clean water. If they couldn't make this journey themselves, then they would buy it off of others who could. Thanks to this project, everything changed. Water is now within a half of a kilometer, and it takes less than 30 minutes to get clean water and return home.

Mrs. Priscilla Nduni met us at the well to talk about how well it's served them over the last year. She said, "When it rains really heavily, the well provides us with water all year round." This area of Kenya only sees a heavy rain only once or twice a year. Thanks to an adjacent sand dam, rainwater is stored in the sand and supplies the community with more than enough clean water from this hand-dug well.

Mrs. Nduni getting clean water from the well.

Mrs. Nduni also mentioned that even during the dry season, if rationed, everyone can irrigate a portion of their farms. "During the dry season, a lot of people troop here for water... so there's a bit of waiting when the demand is high," she said.

Kitonga Mwova

Kitonga Mwova was also at the well to fetch some water. We asked him what change stood out the most to him. He replied, "We now fetch water near our homes. It is way easier than walking 15 kilometers to River Tyaa. I now fetch my three liters to carry to school for drinking and cooking."

After hearing that both Ktonga and Mrs. Nduni agree that the well takes longer to recharge during the dry months, the field officer thinks that we should dig this well deeper. The best time to do that will be during the dry season itself, allowing for easy digging and an accurate view of how much more water we've really unearthed.


The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to four times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kyusyani Community maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Kyusyani Community – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.