Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 224 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Oct 2018

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/06/2024

Project Features


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ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School does not have enough water for its students. Its student population increased quickly from 76 girls last year to more than 200 today. This sudden growth means that the plastic rainwater tank on the school grounds is not big enough for the students, teachers, and staff. They must supplement this water shortage by traveling to a nearby spring, but even that is not enough.

A shortage of safe water for this institution means the contraction of diseases such as typhoid.

"This school has over the years experienced high drop out, as parents fear for both the health and safety of their children, besides poor water and sanitation facilities," Principal Dorina Sena said.

"The school fees are not enough to help the school improve its sanitation facilities. This puts the lives of our students at risk, as they easily get diseases."

The latrines at the school are also in poor condition. They smell so bad are in such bad shape that many students avoid using them entirely, opting to use the toilets meant for the boarding students. The students do not wash their hands after visiting the toilets and this encourages bacterial formation.

A normal day at this school starts at 5am when students head to class for their morning study hall. At about 6:30am they go to the spring to fetch water for bathing, cooking, and cleaning of their school. They have breakfast and the school day begins at 8am.

Lunch is served at 12:30pm, then the students head back to class till 4:30pm. They go for games for thirty minutes then head out to fetch water again before dinner, evening study and then bed by 9:30pm.

What we can to do:

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.

Handwashing Stations

This CTC club will oversee the new facilities, such as handwashing stations, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The two handwashing 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. Three doors will serve the girls while the other three serve the boys. 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. Students will no longer be responsible to find enough water to carry to school every day, nor leave class again to find more.

We and the school strongly believe that with this assistance, standards will significantly improve. These higher standards will translate to better health which will unlock the potential for higher academic achievement.

Project Updates


October, 2019: Giving Update: ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School

A year ago, your generous donation helped ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School in Kenya access clean water.

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




October, 2018: ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School Project Complete

A new rainwater catchment system was built! Milimani Secondary 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.

Rainwater Catchment Tank

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

"We will now have plenty of water for use in the school compound," said 14-year-old Maxiverline Akoy.

"Initially, we had to walk all the way to the spring. This would waste our time and conflicts with the community members would arise every now and then. Getting clean water was, therefore, a huge challenge for us," she recalled.

"With this new water point, we are now sure that our school will be clean always and that all other activities that require water will be well taken care of. We are so happy, just to say the least."

The Process:

Our staff and the school administration started by looking around the school to determine the best location for their 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.

The catchment area was dug, plastered, and a staircase installed so students can easily get water from the tap.

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.

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

VIP Latrines

This project funded the installation of six new ventilated improved pit 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.

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 with their peers at school and families at home.

New Knowledge

The school was closed for vacation at the time the tank and latrines were being constructed. The principal was still working from the school office, though, so we worked with her to arrange hygiene and sanitation training. She decided to send one of her staff, the laboratory technician who lives within the school compound, to go out and inform all of the students who live nearby. The board of management chairperson, a parent representative, and two teachers also joined us.

Since this is a girls-only school, all of our participants felt confident as they participated in each topic. They were not too shy to answer our questions as well as pose their own.

The school needed to be equipped with knowledge on how to improve standards of hygiene and to also ensure that the sanitation facilities given to them are maintained to serve the school for years to come. Some of the topics covered include water pollution, personal and environmental hygiene, operations and maintenance of the facilities, group dynamics, and leadership and governance. The group activities equipped the new health club to promote hygiene and sanitation awareness at their school.

Learning about use, cleaning, and management of the latrine facilities.

"I have learned that I need to be the change that is needed here at school and at home," Jane Makobe said.

"I will share the information gathered here today with those I know and even the other students who will be a part of this newly formed club. I believe now my life will change for the better if I apply what I have learned here today."




September, 2018: ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School Project Underway

A severe clean water shortage at ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary 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 Videos


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: ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School

October, 2019

A year ago, your generous donation helped ACK Milimani Girls’ Secondary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Lutta Dolphine. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary 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 school teachers, students, and staff have experienced great benefits from the WaSH projects installed at ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary School last year. This is because clean water from their rain tank is now more accessible to cater to their daily needs. Sanitation has improved and also the school community does not have to travel for long distances looking for water like in the past.

School staff fully supports the projects by ensuring the proper use of water (not wasting it) and also by ensuring that the surrounding area is clean. This is done by draining stagnant water and cutting down overgrown grass that could otherwise be breeding ground for mosquitoes.

"We are so grateful for putting up this project in our school," said teacher Okoth Collins.

"It has enabled the students to settle in classes on time. They also have ample time to study as well as keeping away from sickness and diseases. The environment is also kept clean, they also get clean and safe water for drinking and cooking."

Teacher Ms. Michelle Lugotso with students Lutta and Immaculate at the rain tank

"General hygiene has improved in that the girls are clean both [personally] and [in] their environment. Diseases related to poor hygiene have also not been reported this year. This is because the girls get enough water to wash their hands after a visit to the washroom."

(For another teacher's perspective on these projects, check out the video posted on the photos tab of this project to hear Ms. Michelle Lugotso share her story as well!)

One such student is 17-year-old Lutta Dolphine, who reflected on how these WaSH projects have impacted her time at school.

"My life has changed because now I get to drink clean water. My environment is also clean and it gives me the motivation to work harder as a student."

Field officer Victor Musemi joins the photo at 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 ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary 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 ACK Milimani Girls' Secondary 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 Sponsor - In Memory of Giovanna Stark