Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Aug 2018

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 09/04/2024

Project Features


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A normal day at Eshiamboko Primary School starts as early as 6:30am when the first students arrive. They're supposed to be there by 7am for morning study hall. After, they work together to complete the cleaning chores on their roster. There are occasional tea breaks until an hour's lunch break before afternoon classes. The final hour of the school day is spent split up between sports and different interest clubs.

There are currently 595 students enrolled who are taught by 17 teachers. The school employs four support staff to make sure daily activities are running smoothly.

Water

The school doesn't have a reliable source of water. Students here are often absent because of waterborne diseases.

It has a 4,500-liter plastic tank that's reserved for the kitchen. Students are asked to carry water from home to school every single morning. Since students are coming from different places, there's no way to point out one water source and ascertain the quality of their water.

When this water's used up, students have to go back out in search of more. Teachers ask that they walk a little over one kilometer to get clean water from a protected spring. This is a tiring task, not to mention the water can be contaminated after the long walk with uncovered containers.

Sanitation

"I have worked in this school for over 10 years now, and I have seen the different headteachers usually transferred in and out of this school strive to try and achieve some level of hygiene, with some success," Mama Sephina, the school cook, told us.

"This has been a challenge since the school is on rocky grounds (so it's hard to build new pit latrines), and the students suffer most since they have to bring water from home. This limits us in terms of cleanliness, as we are forced to use as little water as possible in order to avoid burdening the pupils. We hardly wash our hands here, so typhoid has been a nuisance we have been living with for a long time."

Here's what we're going to do about it:

Training

Training will be held for two days. The facilitator will use PHAST (participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation), ABCD (asset-based community development), CTC (child to child), lectures, group discussions, and handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good practices within the school. The CTC method will prepare students to lead other students into healthy habits, as well as kickstart a CTC club for the school.

Hand-Washing Stations

This CTC club will oversee the new facilities, such as hand-washing stations, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The two hand-washing stations will be delivered to the school, and the club will fill them with water on a daily basis and make sure there is always a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.

VIP Latrines

Two triple-door latrines will be constructed with local materials that the school will help gather. And with a new source of water on school grounds, students and staff should have enough to keep these new latrines clean.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will help alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will also help gather the needed materials such as sand, rocks, and water from the spring for mixing cement. Once finished, this tank can begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff.

We and the school strongly believe that with this assistance, standards will significantly improve. These higher standards will translate to better academic performance!


This project is a part of our shared program with Western Water And Sanitation Forum (WEWASAFO). Our team is pleased to provide the reports for this project (formatted and edited for readability) thanks to the hard work of our friends in Kenya.

Project Updates


September, 2019: Giving Update: Eshiamboko Primary School

A year ago, your generous donation helped Eshiamboko Primary School in Kenya access clean water.

There’s an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water at Eshiamboko Primary School. Month after month, their giving supports ongoing sustainability programs that help this school maintain access to safe, reliable water. Read more…




August, 2018: Eshiamboko Primary School Rainwater Tank Complete

A new rainwater catchment system was built! Eshiamboko Primary School in Kenya now has a new source of safe, clean water thanks to your support. Handwashing stations were installed so that students can clean up after using their new latrines, and students and staff have received training in sanitation and hygiene.

New Knowledge

Hygiene and sanitation training was planned with the help of the headteacher, who had a close look at the examination schedule and closure dates to find a time suitable for us. With a date set, he was also able to recruit 20 participants comprised of representatives from class three to class seven. It was a hot day outside, but the shade and open windows in the classroom helped keep all of us comfortable.

We covered several topics, including bathing, oral hygiene, and handwashing with soap as a barrier from germs; operation and maintenance of the new facilities, with each person understanding their role for long-lasting clean water and good health. Students liked how we used lots of pictures and demonstrations to teach these things and even more.

The students in attendance are expected to share what they learned both at school and at home. They have formed a new student health club that will be a great catalyst for sharing health information. They're excited because they only had one active club at the time.

"I am happy you made time for us to learn things about hygiene and sanitation, for we have no one else to teach us all this," student Mishell Atieno said.

"I have learned the importance of keeping my environment clean. I have learned that my health starts from the hands and that I need to keep my things in order. I have something to also teach my friends in class and those at home who are not from this school."

Handwashing Stations

Pupils can now enjoy washing their hands with soap thanks to the two handwashing stations that were delivered to their school.  These new handwashing opportunities will help reduce cases of hygiene-related illness. The training on hygiene has motivated these students to share what they’ve learned both with their peers at school and families at home.

VIP Latrines

This project funded the installation of six new ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines. All of these new latrines have cement floors that are easy to use and clean. And with a rainwater catchment tank, there should be enough water to keep them clean all the time.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

Construction for this 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank was successful!

Parents, staff, and students helped our artisans gather everything needed for construction. Getting the water needed for mixing cement was a challenge. It was a 20-minute walk to the nearest source, and students worked tirelessly helped our artisans get what they needed. All the while, women cooked meals for the artisans, and the school provided accommodations for the artisans during their work. Local men and women helped our artisans with their manual labor, too.

Students fetching water to mix cement.

The process officially began with our staff and school administration looking around the school compound to try and determine the best location for a new rainwater catchment tank. This needed to be the best site with good, clean roofing to catch the rainwater. Then, we cleared the site: excavating the soil within the required measurements to make level ground for the tank foundation. The foundation was cast by laying stones on a level ground and then reinforcing it using steel, concrete and waterproof cement.

Both the drawing pipe as well as the washout pipe were affixed as the foundation was lain. The wall was built with ferro-cement techniques through six layers. The inner wall was plastered while rough casting was done on the outer part.

Dome construction could begin after the superstructure had been given enough time to settle. The manhole cover was fitted, inlet pipes were connected to the roof gutters, inlet screens, ventilation pipes (breathers) and overflow pipes were all done to standard.

Getting ready to install the gutter system.

The catchment area was dug, plastered, and a staircase installed.

Once finished, the tank was given three weeks to undergo complete curing before it was cleaned and handed over to Eshiamboko Primary School, though we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program.

"We have had challenges in the past with water and sanitation, and thus many cases of school absenteeism. The children were already used to walking all the way to the spring to get water, and as teachers, we realized that this was taking up so much of their time. The containers they were using were not often cleaned, and so sometimes we drank the water and hoped we would not fall sick," remembered Phanice Atillah.

"This project is now a new beginning for us, improvement in hygiene and sanitation and healthy pupils and staff. We are very happy, we thank God for directing you to our school."




April, 2018: Eshiamboko Primary School Project Underway

A severe clean water shortage at Eshiamboko Primary School drains students’ time, energy, and health. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know your school through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




Project Photos


Project Type

For a rainwater collection system, we build gutters around a building with good, clean roofing to channel rain where we want it. From there, the water falls through a filtered inlet pipe into a high-capacity storage tank, the size of which is based on population and average rainfall patterns. In the tank, water can be stored for months, where it is easily treated and accessed. Learn more here!


Giving Update: Eshiamboko Primary School

September, 2019

A year ago, your generous donation helped Eshiamboko Primary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Eunice Ndeta. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Eshiamboko Primary School.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Eshiamboko Primary School 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!

The pupils and staff at Eshiamboko Primary School can now access clean and safe water right inside their school compound, thanks to the rain tank that was installed there last year. They told us how they hardly get sick anymore, and this has improved their wellbeing and their performance in class too.

The student health club training was not in vain as the pupils wash their hands with soap after using the latrines and their hygienic standards have also improved. Both students and staff are very appreciative of the WaSH project that was implemented in the school. They clean their rain tank frequently and the area surrounding the tank is also clean.

"One of the major challenges that faced the school before was lack of water in the school compound," explained teacher Mr. Elphas Olocho.

"But, since the rainwater harvesting tank was constructed, this problem has been solved. We no longer interrupt classes to ask pupils to go and fetch water 2 kilometers away, which has helped in time management. The pupils are more healthy and they also have sufficient time to study."

Mr. Elphas Olocho at the rain tank

One of those pupils is 14-year-old Eunice Ndeta, who was all smiles at the rain tank on the day of our visit.

Field Officer Georgina Kamau with student Eunice Ndeta at the rain tank

"We used to carry water from home every morning and we could get tired even before we started our classes," she said.

"The installed tank has solved this problem since the water is available in the tank which is used for cleaning and is safe for drinking and cooking too."

Eunice takes a drink from the rain tank


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 Eshiamboko Primary School 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 Eshiamboko Primary School – 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.


Contributors

Project Underwriter - Imago Dei Community
2 individual donor(s)