Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 400 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Sep 2016

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/08/2024

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).

Welcome to the Community

The members of Matoma Nyumbi Kumi Self-Help Group came together to find solutions to their water problems by sharing resources and constructing new water points. Matoma Nyumbi Kumi means "10 jerrycans" in Swahili. They constructed a sand dam in 2014, though without knowledge on how to do so properly. The group members want to control soil erosion in the area, and have started doing so by building terraces on their farms. They are all farmers who either keep livestock or cultivate fruits and vegetables, with the majority growing fruit trees. These farmers then sell the fruit tree saplings. Without water, the farmer's opportunities are suppressed and income is lowered. They have a merry-go-round project (a fund-sharing plan) which encourages them to meet frequently. In the case a member is not feeling well, they help each other in catering for medical expenses. Mumbuni Village is home to 400 people.

Water Situation

This hand-dug well will be the second that this group is implementing with us. The first hand-dug well was completed in the beginning of 2015, adjacent to a sand dam that is still maturing. Hand-dug wells are built to give locals safe access to water (the water will grow clearer as the dam matures and builds up more sand). The sand dam has proven a huge asset to agriculture in this area. Just last year, the group was able to plant 800 fruit tress!

However, the first sand dam and hand-dug well are too far (over 1.5 km) for some of the community members, and so they will implement this new hand-dug well further along the river. With just one sand dam and well, long lines are the norm. A second well will reduce the crowds at the water points and provide a sustainable supply of water for everyone in the community. Some families can’t even afford a reservoir tank for water storage, so they have no choice but to fetch water on a daily basis (Janet, one of the self-help group members, is fortunate to have a 100-liter barrel for water storage. Check out her home pictured below!).

Sanitation Situation

100% of households have a pit latrine. The conditions of these latrines vary according to a family’s income level. Families that have more money invest in a deeper pit, while families that don't have much cannot. Most of the pits we saw during our visit were almost full. Most women had a dish rack and clothesline to dry their families' things, but we only counted eight hand-washing stations. This certainly isn’t enough for 400 people!

Each household has a designated compost pit where they dispose of their waste. The compost is then used to increase soil fertility on farms.

The group is in their second year of working with ASDF, and in the first year, the group was trained on hygiene and sanitation to increase awareness on waste disposal, hand-washing, personal hygiene and water treatment. With the availability of water, the community is able to practice some of the learnt concepts. Farmer and mother Ann Muia says "With water close to our homes we have improved cleanliness. Our children bathe daily and go to school in clean uniforms. More training on how to treat water is needed…"

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

This group of people is made up of many elderly members, so a serious refresher training is planned. We are planning to invite more young people than last time, so that they can learn and remind their parents and grandparents about good health practices. Training will take two days, and will focus on water treatment.

Plans: Hand-Dug Well

This hand-dug well will be located adjacent to the sand dam that is being constructed (click here to see that project). As the sand dam matures and builds up sand, the water table will rise. As time goes by, the available water will become clearer and cleaner.

The well will be lined with concrete and finished with an Afridev pump. We will use monitoring software to keep track of this well's functionality, ensuring that it always provides water for the self-help group and their community.

Thank You for your generosity that unlocks opportunity and hope for Matoma Nymuba Kumi Self-Help Group and their community.

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Matoma Nyumba Kumi Hand-Dug Well

A year ago, generous donors helped build a hand-dug well for the Matoma Nyumba Kumi 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 Boniface Mavindu 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.


A Year Later: Matoma Nyumba Kumi Hand-Dug Well

December, 2017

Since this project was completed, people have been asking to join our group because of the benefits they have seen: they’ve seen water brought closer to home, and the various trainings and exchange visits that we have been exposed to are things they’d love to take part in.

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Matoma Nyumba Kumi Community 2B.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Matoma Nyumba Kumi Community 2B 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 Matoma Nyumba Kumi 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 Boniface Mavindu and Titus Mbithi with you.


People used to walk four kilometers for two hours to find water. Once there, they'd spend up to three hours lined up to draw water. There has been such a significant change since the hand-dug well brought clean water closer to home. Time that was initially wasted in search of clean water can now used for other economic activities like terracing farms.

Water from those initial sources wasn't clean, either, and the group members had no knowledge of how to treat that dirty water. With the nearby hand-dug well, water is now safe for drinking. And the group has been trained on treating drinking water, which has greatly reduced the cases of waterborne diseases.

Muthei Mutune interviewing Agnes Kyengo at the hand-dug well.

Agnes Kyengo is the treasurer for her self-help group, which means she also oversees any money raised for well maintenance. She met with us at the well to talk about how it's changed her life. "Since this project was completed, people have been asking to join our group because of the benefits they have seen: they've seen water brought closer to home, and the various trainings and exchange visits that we have been exposed to are things they'd love to take part in. Fruit production has increased in the community because we have been in a position to water our fruit trees. Some have borne fruits while others are almost getting to the stage of bearing fruits, and we have been trained on grafting; soon we will be the leading suppliers of fruits in the region. Our income has increased as a result of practicing vegetable farming because we water the kale, spinach, and onions at our kitchen gardens using the water from the dam. We sell some of these vegetables to get money to pay school fees, buy clothes for our children and other needs. These vegetables are consumed by our families too, which helps improve our health. The meals have increased from two meals a day to three," she shared.

Ngei Muthoka

We met 17-year-old Ngei Muthoka to hear his perspective. He said, "Since the project completion, my tree nursery has increased in production due to water availability. Of the 50 trees I planted, 45 have survived. I am grateful for this project, and I hope in the near future I will be earning income once I am out of school.

The water from the sand dam has enabled me to make bricks for constructing my house, and I sold 500 at eight shillings each and I got a total of 4,000 shillings. I used the money to pay for my school fees. My parents were happy because the money they were to pay for my school fees they used to meet other needs such as clothing my siblings." But he continued by saying, "The water availability at the well is periodic, and at times we are forced to travel... to fetch water for both household use and watering tree nurseries."


As the young sand dam continues to mature through the rainy seasons, building up sand and storing even more clean water, the hand-dug well will become more reliable.

Most of our other southeastern Kenya projects are like this too; they are systems that need time to mature in order to provide clean, reliable water throughout drought. We look forward to this happening here, and are excited to monitor the transformation!

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 Matoma Nyumba Kumi Community 2B 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 Matoma Nyumba Kumi Community 2B – 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.


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