Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 380 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2022

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/22/2023

Project Features


Click icons to learn about each feature.



Missionaries from the Africa Inland Mission started Kitondo Primary School in 1941 on a donated piece of land. The school grew to become a government school and has overseen its growth through support from the government, the Mbooni Constituency Development Fund, and the local parents.

The 380 students in this school must report to school by 6:30 am with a jerrycan of water. Cleaning takes place until 7:00 am, then morning preps run until 7:45 am. After that, the students go for a morning parade where they are checked for the required amount of water. Those who have failed to carry water are punished.

"Our school suffers from a lack of adequate water supply because the available water sources are not enough to fully supply the school population with enough water. Our pupils are burdened with carrying water to school, which is unfair to them, but it is the only option because the school lacks funds to buy water," explained Deputy Headteacher Kyalo Mutinda.

The school has a few small rainwater harvesting tanks, but they are not nearly big enough to meet the students' water needs. So, the school must require the students to bring water each day. The students carry water to school from varied sources whose safety cannot be guaranteed. The school reported several cases of stomach-related illnesses recently. They are directly related to consuming water from unknown sources - some of which are unfit for human consumption.

The students have to look for water either after school for the following day, or very early in the morning on their way to school. For the pupils, carrying water to school daily has been burdening. The requirement has led to increased absenteeism, students arriving late for their morning preps, and poor class concentration.

"Every day after school, I go and fetch water for carrying to school the following day," said student Mwendwa K.

"We ask for support to help address the water challenge in our school so that we can concentrate more in class."

Rain Tank

We will build a 104,000-liter rain tank for this school, making the others look tiny in comparison. Because of how rarely it rains in Southeastern Kenya, this tank's large volume is designed to store as much water as possible during the seasonal rains, making more water available through the dry months. This water will benefit the students, teachers, and additional staff.

Parents will mobilize the materials needed for construction, including sand, stones, and water. They will also lend their strength and time to help with the construction. We will complement their materials with a skilled artisan to lead the project and provide the tools, lumber, metal, cement, and gutter system.

As soon as the tank has time to cure, it can begin collecting rainwater for the school's use.

Training

We will train students and staff on sanitation, hygiene, and other topics for one day. Those in attendance will form a school health club that will promote good hygiene and sanitation practices at school and home. They will learn all of the steps to proper handwashing, how to treat water, and how to keep their environment clean. The school will also be taught how to oversee best and maintain their new rain tank and handwashing stations.

Handwashing Stations

A total of 3 handwashing stations will be installed upon the project’s completion and before training. These are 1,000-liter plastic tanks fitted with three taps each, allowing nine students to wash their hands at once. The student health club and school management will be responsible for making sure the tanks are filled with water and that a cleaning agent such as soap or ash is always available.

Project Updates


January, 2022: Kitondo Primary School Rain Tank Complete!

Kitondo School in Kenya now has access to a new source of safe, clean water thanks to the completion of their rain tank, which can collect 104,000 liters of water. In addition, we installed handwashing stations, and we trained students and staff on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. These components work together to unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.

"Having reliable, safe water from this water tank will help us improve our hygiene and sanitation levels as we will put in place many handwashing stations," said teacher Mary Kyama. "The water point will play a huge role in supporting the new Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), as the pupils will be able to undertake agricultural subjects with ease."

"The water point will provide enough water for drinking, washing our hands, and keeping our school environment clean," said 12-year-old Joyce N.

Handwashing Stations

We delivered three new handwashing stations in time for training to be used for handwashing demonstrations. Each of these new stations has three taps so that nine students can wash their hands simultaneously.

New Knowledge

We trained on a variety of health, hygiene, and sanitation topics. These included student health club activities, disease transmission and prevention, personal hygiene, handwashing, water hygiene, food hygiene, latrine hygiene, and soapmaking.

"The training was very valuable to me," said Joyce N. "I have learned the importance of maintaining personal hygiene and sanitation levels, which will help me to stop spreading some diseases and viruses such as COVID-19. I also learned that dirt makes us fall sick and washing our hands is a very important practice."

"The training was very valuable to me," said 13-year-old Trevor G. "The training helped to learn the handwashing techniques aimed at preventing [the] spread of diseases and viruses."

"As a member of [the] Child Health Club, we will make sure that we install more handwashing points and ensure that all the pupils wear masks properly," concluded Joyce N. "We also plan to make soap, which will be used in the school to wash our hands."

When an issue arises concerning the rain tank, the students and teachers are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our field officers to assist them. Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our ongoing monitoring and maintenance program.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




October, 2021: Kitondo Primary School Rain Tank Construction Complete!

Kitondo Primary School in Kenya now has access to a new source of safe, clean water thanks to their rain tank, which can collect 104,000 liters of water. The tank is still being cured and needs a coat of beautiful blue and white paint. We'll send you pictures of the freshly painted tank as soon as we get them!

Rain Tank Construction Process

First, we held a meeting with all parents and the school Head Teacher to plan the project. The parents agreed to collect construction materials like sand, rocks, and water.

We would complement their materials by delivering the expertise, tools, lumber, metal, cement, and gutter system.

This tank is a whopping 104,000 liters because of a large student population and how rarely it rains in Southeastern Kenya. Therefore, the more water the tank can store during the seasonal rains, the more water will be available through the dry months for the students.

Construction for this large rain tank is much like the construction of a concrete house. First, we leveled the ground for foundation excavation.

Next, we laid alternating layers of impermeable rocks and mortar up to 7 feet high, with internal and external diameters of 25 and 28 feet, respectively.

We built a reinforced concrete column right up to the tank’s center, which holds up the roof and prevents it from caving in. We then plastered the walls both internally and externally with waterproof cement.

After that, we installed several feet of guttering and channeled them into the tank. Finally, we installed the roofing, made of iron sheets and timber with vents to allow rainwater into the tank from the gutters.

School leadership is armed with the technical skills to ensure that the water tank remains functional, and together we will identify gaps through our ongoing monitoring visits.

 

Thank you for making this possible!




October, 2021: Kitondo Primary School Rainwater Tank Project Underway!

A severe clean water shortage at Kitondo 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 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

Rainwater Catchment

Rainwater is collected off strategic areas of a roof, enters a custom guttering system (which filters out debris) and leads to a storage tank. Tanks can vary in sizes and are determined by population and average rainfall patterns. Water can be stored for months, is easily treated in the tank, and is accessible through taps. These projects are implemented at schools with proper roof lines and gutter systems to make them successful.


Contributors

Project Sponsor - Sappy Seals