Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 161 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jun 2022

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/28/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

Report Submitted by
Titus Mbithi, Communications and Fund Raising Manager

Both money and water are scarce at Kyuasini Primary School, but the school has had to purchase water since its inception in 2013. The school's two rain tanks are dry for nine months out of the year, which leaves the 161 students and 11 staff members scrambling for water.

"The water stored in the tanks runs out very fast," said Onesmus Nduva, the school's Head Teacher (pictured below).

"The current water situation is at its worst," Onesmus continued. "We are struggling to get access to clean water to run the school. We spend a lot of money to purchase water from vendors, which is very costly as the school has no funds. Due to the poverty levels in the area, it's strenuous for the parents to contribute money for such needs."

Students are expected to carry jerrycans of water to school on a daily basis along with their bookbags, which is exhausting given the fact that they're usually sick from drinking the water. The school reports cases of stomach aches, typhoid, amoeba, and dysentery.

"I have to carry water to school every day," said Catherine M., a seven-year-old student (pictured below). "We are not served with drinking water here at school because the tanks usually don't have a lot of water."

When the school can't afford to purchase water, the staff sends the students out to the Kikuo River with their jerrycans, interrupting class. Kikuo River is open to all forms of contamination: animal waste, farm chemicals, pathogens, and human waste. What's more, the river is seasonal and does not flow throughout the year, and it is located three kilometers (1.86 miles) away from the school.

Because the school administration rations the water it does have, this often hinders proper cleanliness, hygiene, and sanitation. The school has never had a feeding program because it doesn't have the spare water to cook with. These issues exacerbate the students' health issues.

"Our latrines are not cleaned on a daily basis because there is no water in the school," Catherine explained. "We also learn in dusty classrooms."

"If we get water, we [could] manage to sustain the school," Onesmus said.

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 supplementary 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 in addition to providing 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 1 day. Those in attendance will form a school health club that will promote good hygiene and sanitation practices both at school and at 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 best oversee 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 3 taps each, allowing 9 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


June, 2022: Kyuasini Primary School Rain Tank Complete!

Kyuasini School in Kenya now has access to a new safe, clean water source thanks to the completion of their 104,000-liter rain tank! In addition, we installed handwashing stations and trained students and staff on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.

''I will never miss school anymore," said 12-year-old Rebecca M.

"I will make sure that I attend all the lessons as I do not have to worry about carrying a jerrycan of water to school every day. I hope to do exemplary during my final exams as I will have ample time to study. I will also enjoy drinking fresh and clean water from the tank."

Rebecca in front of the tank (before it was painted).

''We have been looking for a way to make our school environment more beautiful but failed over and over again as water scarcity issues hit us every day," Rebecca continued.

"Now, with this project complete and working well, we hope to make it in planting trees for our school environment. We plan to plant flowers, too, around the school compound. We shall also put in place a kitchen garden to produce our own vegetables from the school and for the school."

"This is the best and greatest achievement we have as of now," said 38-year-old teacher Francis Mutua.

Francis at the tank.

"[The] pupils have really suffered, getting to school while loaded with a jerrycan of water is very hectic. Many students neglect[ed] school as the burden of carrying water is demanding."

"This water is of great help to us," Francis continued. "We plan to start a vegetable garden for the school. Also, pupils will no longer miss school anymore. School performance is also set to be high and the level of education will generally rise in the area."

Francis (right) with his students in front of the finished tank.

''As a school, we have been yearning to have a beautiful environment. Our pupils do not have very good places to sit whenever it gets sunny. We have had plans of planting trees to make the school more appealing and also have a place for them to sit. We have also had a plan of planting flowers around the school."

Rain Tank Construction Process

First, we held a meeting with all parents and the school headteacher to plan the project. The parents agreed to collect construction materials like sand, rocks, and water. We complemented their materials by delivering the expertise, tools, lumber, metal, cement, and gutter system.

Construction materials stored in a classroom.

This tank is a whopping 104,000 liters because of 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 constructing a concrete house. First, we leveled the ground for foundation excavation. Next, we laid alternating layers of impermeable rocks and mortar up to seven feet high for the tank's outer walls. With such sturdy construction (the walls have internal and external diameters of 25 and 28 feet, respectively!), the tank will stand a long time.

The tank walls grow.

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 inside and out with waterproof cement. After that, we installed guttering and channeled it 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.

Handwashing Stations

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

New Knowledge

Students display posters showing disease transmission routes.

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.

During our training on personal hygiene, the facilitator asked students how often they must brush their teeth, saying that whoever gave the correct answer would be rewarded. The pupils talked amongst themselves. When one of them gave the right answer, they were given an extra packet of cookies with their lunch.

After we held an election for members of a student health club, those members were brought into a separate training to be shown how to make liquid soap. Students enjoyed taking turns stirring the mixture and watching the soap as it changed.

Curious students watch the soap-making process.

"The training has been of great impact to me," said 13-year-old Aron K.

Aron in front of the tank.

"I never knew how to keep myself clean. I could visit the latrine and fail to clean my hands. At times, I ate food without washing my hands. Now, I can attest to great progress. I never have stomach problems. I will maintain this practice and also educate others on how to maintain proper hygiene and sanitation."

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our partners, and the community members themselves. 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. We have an ongoing commitment to walk with each community, cooperatively problem-solving when they face challenges of any kind: with functionality, seasonality, or water quality issues. With all these components together, we strive to ensure enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.

With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




April, 2022: Kyuasini Primary School Rain Tank Underway!

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

We've begun construction but the completion of the tank will take a bit longer than expected.

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 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!


A Year Later: School becomes clean and welcoming!

June, 2023

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

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kyuasini 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!

Teacher Lucy Ndiso, 38, recalled what life was like at Kyuasini Primary School before her school’s rain tank was installed last year.

"Before the construction of the water tank, we did not have enough water in the school. The pupils suffered a lot in getting water. In the morning, a pupil attending Kyuasini Primary School would be identified by a jerrycan of water. This was [a] very hard task for young kids bearing in mind they’d walk for several kilometers every single morning. At times, the pupils would be forced to rush [to] the nearby river at lunch or even [during] game break time," said Lucy.

But life is much simpler and less exhausting for Lucy's students at Kyuasini now.

"Now, the pupils do not need to carry water anymore. In the school, we have a feeding plan which needs [a] reliable water supply. This has been made possible because of the availability of water in the school. We are able to get enough water to serve the pupils in the school every time," Lucy said.

Having ready access to water from the rain tank has made a difference for Lucy, allowing her to focus on helping students learn and improving students' academic experience.

"In the past year, our school has become very clean and welcoming. We managed to plant some vegetables, although they have not grown so big, but we hope they shall. We have enough water for drinking, cooking, and washing our hands hence avoiding germs," concluded Lucy.

Thank you for helping Lucy access clean water and build a brighter future for her students.

Right now, there are others just like her in neighboring communities that desperately need safe water access. Your support will immediately go to work to provide a clean water project - and we can’t wait to introduce you to the next person you’ll help.

Lucy and her students use water from the 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 Kyuasini 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 Kyuasini 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.