Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2019

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 01/11/2024

Project Features


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"I am a student of Mavusi Primary School. Here are the challenges that we are undergoing: We have not enough water in our school, there is poor sanitation, and this has resulted in poor performance and many students have transferred to other schools and others have dropped out," 12-year-old Mary shared.

In fact, there is no water at Mavusi Primary School.

Instead, students have to walk to the school board chairman's home to get water from his hand-dug well. This well is just an open hole in the ground without a pump or cover. There are logs covering the topic, which is dangerous because these logs will rot as they get wet. Not only is it dangerous to pull water up from this open hole, but it is dangerous to even drink the water. The entire process of leaving school, drawing water up with a bucket and rope, and carrying it back takes up a lot of study time.

Most students suffer from typhoid. They are unable to participate in extracurricular activities and barely make it through lessons. Parents spend a lot of money on treatment for their children.

Mavusi Primary School was started by the Kenyan Government in 1958 and is now sponsored by a local church. The school began with a small number of 30 students compared to the current population of 745 students. They have tried their best, but due to the challenges of insufficient water and latrines, they are unable to provide a good environment for their students.

The school is found in a cool and peaceful rural area. It was the season of long rains during our first visit, so the place was very green. Walking onto school grounds, it looks to be a place full of old and new things. Some builds are falling apart, while others look brand new. The school had 13 classrooms, but six of them were just torn down because of their dangerous, dilapidated condition.

The school day starts at 6:45am when the teacher on duty gives instruction to students on cleaning their compound, classrooms, and latrines. Students sit for a short study hall before they assemble for morning announcements. They have five lessons per day, broken up by a tea break and lunch break. There are extracurricular activities for an hour before students are dismissed at 4:30pm.

What we can 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

There are currently only 11 latrines for 745 students.

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 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!

Project Updates


October, 2019: Giving Update: Mavusi Primary School

A year ago, your generous donation helped Mavusi 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 Mavusi Primary School. Month after month, their giving supports ongoing sustainability programs that help this school maintain access to safe, reliable water. Read more…




February, 2019: Mavusi Primary School Project Complete

There is a new rainwater catchment system at Mavusi Primary School Primary School! Students have a 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!

"This water point will be a salvation to the school. The school had been given a closure notice by the public heath officer because we did not have any water catchment point within the school, and also we did not have enough toilets to meet the threshold number required by the government," said Mr. Sikhama, the school board chairman.

"Lack of water has affected our school performance negatively and increased rates of absenteeism. At the moment we have enough water and we are optimistic to receive massive positive changes in school."

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 level ground and then reinforcing it using steel, concrete and waterproof cement.

Cementing the tank foundation

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 Mavusi Primary 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

We worked with the headteacher to recruit student representatives from each grade. These students will form a child to child (CTC) student health club that will hold activities and meetings to teach their peers about what they learned.

Attendance superseded our expectations as we thought to have a total of 20 participants but actually had 24.

CTC club members

We covered topics including:

– primary healthcare
– taking care of the new facilities
– common illnesses and their prevention
– waterborne illnesses
– CTC club activities
– dental hygiene
– handwashing

The majority of the participants wanted to take part in the handwashing demonstration, and they agreed to be ambassadors of change both at their school and back at home. They also promised to make more leaky tin (a container with a cork at the bottom) handwashing stations and place them at the most critical points in the school.

Leadership and governance were also taught to equip the CTC student health club with good leadership skills as they teach the rest of the student body what they learned. The training ended with the students electing their peers to the club cabinet leadership. There was one little girl called Lavine who kept on vying for all of the leadership posts, but she was not successful until the last post when she was elected as club treasurer. Her perseverance touched each of the participants; such a young girl not losing hope for what she desired. The facilitator encouraged her to continue with that spirit so she can be a great leader in the future.

CTC club leadership election

"Personally, I feel lucky to be part of this training. I have gained a lot of information that will help me and my family improve on hygiene and sanitation standards. Initially, I did not know the ten steps of handwashing. I also did not know that one is not supposed to rinse toothpaste with water after brushing their teeth. Now I know and I will put this information into practice," said Teacher Okumu.

Thank You for making all of this possible!




January, 2019: Mavusi Primary School Project Underway

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

Get to know this 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: Mavusi Primary School

October, 2019

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

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Mavusi 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!

Since the construction last year of their rain tank, handwashing stations, and VIP latrines, a lot has been achieved at Mavusi Primary School. These changes have included getting clean and safe water easily within the school compound, compared to previous years when students had to leave school to go to a private home to draw water from an unprotected well.

Today, cleaning classrooms, drinking clean water, cooking, and washing clothes are all done easily due to this rain tank. The entire Mavusi community is so grateful for this water project since it has really helped them and changed their life completely.

"Since the installation of the tank, the level of hygiene has improved," said Sanitation Teacher Everline Nkumu.

"Students are now accessing clean water and even washing their classes, cooking, bathing and cleaning generally. This facility has also boosted their academic performance."

16-year-old Gertrude Luvonga reflected on how her experience as a learner has changed since the completion of her school's WaSH projects.

"The water tank has improved [the] lives of many. Personally I have gained a lot: no more wastage of time looking for water unlike before, and this has contributed to improvement in [the] school average grade," she said.

"Apart from that, students are taking clean and safe water and this has reduced the spread of waterborne diseases if compared to the past when we used to contract diseases easily."

Gertrude (left) with another student and Sanitation Teacher Mrs. Everline Nkumu 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 Mavusi 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 Mavusi 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

Marcia and Phillip Rothblum Foundation
Harold J. Belkin Foundation
Joan R. Isaac Giving Fund
Bounce Treatment Services
3 individual donor(s)