Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 350 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Jan 2023

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 11/29/2024

Project Features


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Kasevi Girls Secondary School, whose motto is "Education is Power," operates as a boarding school with 326 students and 24 teachers. But the school is currently suffering from a water crisis that affects the students' ability to learn and their daily schedule in various ways.

Each student has a 10-liter jerrycan to fetch water after classes end at 4 o'clock each day, but often there is no water to be found. Without adequate water, the girls cannot shower and wash their clothes. Meals provided by the school are delayed, and classes begin late, so learning time is limited. The hygiene and sanitation of the school are also affected since students are unable to do most of their cleaning duties without water.

The school currently relies on several rainwater storage tanks. Still, they have a poor guttering system and limited capacity, so they cannot collect sufficient water to meet the demands.

When the tanks run dry, the school pays for alternative water piped to a tap near the school, but it only turns on twice a week. Because of the limited time available, it is challenging to fill all their current reserve tanks. The money spent purchasing water instead needs to support extracurricular and academic programs that would benefit the students.

Maureen K., a student, commented, "Currently in our school, we experience a great challenge of water scarcity. Our personal hygiene and sanitation as students is affected as we bathe occasionally, due to insufficient water in the school. There is no water for handwashing. We rarely wash our hands after visiting the latrines."

She continued, "We also lack clean water for drinking. The water that we are served is not treated and often leads to contracting water-related diseases such as typhoid and amoeba."

The communal water point broke down at one point, so the school had to find water elsewhere, and the only alternative was the local, contaminated river. It was unclean and very salty, and after drinking it, everyone in the school became sick with stomach aches, skin rashes, and even some cases of typhoid.

Currently, the water demand is higher than the supply, but the new rain tank and rehabbed guttering system will offer nearly five times more capacity. Students will be able to focus on learning without worrying if they have adequate water to drink and do their daily chores.

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


January, 2023: Kasevi Girls Secondary School Rain Tank Complete!

Kasevi Girls Secondary 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.

"We will have enough water to drink within the school, and also [I can] wash my hands at all times. Being a girl, I will also easily conduct personal hygiene, which will improve my comfort in class," said 15-year-old Trissi Mueni.

Trissi.

"In the past, we had to pay more school fees to offset the high water expenses, and some of us would be sent home to collect school fees from our guardians or parents. But now, the fee charge will reduce, and I will be able to attend classes throughout the term," said Trissi.

"This water point will ensure our students will easily access clean water to drink and conduct proper hygiene and sanitation, especially since this is a girls' boarding school. Our school water expenses will also plummet, and we will use the extra funds to improve our school's learning facilities and resources," said 42-year-old teacher Doris Kiathe.

Doris in front of the rain tank.

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.

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.

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

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 soap making.

Making liquid soap and latrine disinfectant was a memorable topic for the students. Students showed a lot of interest because the idea could be transformed into a money-making venture that can help meet their basic needs. They also found it interesting because it doesn’t require any expertise or expensive machines to prepare.


"It will help us improve access to safe, sustainable drinking water and sanitation facilities and improve hygiene practices. Also, waterborne diseases are diseases of public health concern, and we are now able to block the transmission channels of the diseases," said 17-year-old Firdaus A.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, 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 their local field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for 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. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!

Thank you for making all of this possible!




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: Water Improves Daily Life for Students!

April, 2024

A year ago, your generous donation helped the Kasevi Girls Secondary School in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Peninah. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kasevi 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!

Peninah, 15, recalled what life was like at Kasevi Girls Secondary School before her school's rain tank was installed last year.

"Being in a boarding school without enough water in the school made life difficult. I had to stay thirsty during classes, and meals [were] often delayed because of the acute water scarcity. I felt miserable going to class in the morning without proper personal hygiene, which made me very uncomfortable. We would also scramble for water to drink, especially after meals. We could barely clean our classrooms and latrines because the little available water was reserved for cooking," Peninah said.

But now, collecting water is something Peninah can do whenever she needs clean water for drinking or meeting her daily needs.

"I am glad that we now have adequate water within the school because I can easily drink clean water whenever I need to. I am also able to wash my garments, wash my hands, and take a bath regularly, which has boosted my confidence in class. My grades have also improved because I no longer spend a lot of time queuing or scrambling for water. We have also managed to plant and grow trees as well as vegetables in the school. I am also [able] to irrigate my crops because I am an agriculture student; thus, I have excelled in the subject," said Peninah.

Having ready access to water from the rain tank has made a difference, allowing Peninah to feel more comfortable physically and pour her energy into learning instead of worrying about her lack of water.

"Hygiene and sanitation within the school have improved, and I am more comfortable during lessons and staying in school. My health has also improved significantly because I am drinking clean water that does not expose me to infections like typhoid and amoeba. Additionally, I am happy that I can easily conduct personal hygiene because we have enough water," Peninah concluded.


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 Kasevi 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 Kasevi 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.


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