Esther Feels Stronger and More Active in Class!

April, 2026

Last year, your gift unlocked the potential for a brighter future for Esther. Since then, she and the Katse Primary School of 323 students and teachers have had clean, reliable water. Your contribution has made a significant impact. Thank you for making a difference!

"I like that the water here is clean and safe to drink. It is also very easy to fetch because the tank is inside our school. I don’t have to walk far or wait in long lines anymore," said Esther.

Before the Rainwater Harvest Tank Installation

Like many in Kenya, 13-year-old Esther is responsible for collecting water to meet her daily water needs. Before last year’s water intervention, this task stole her time and negatively affected her.

Students collected water from a scoop hole before their tank was installed.

Drinking the water caused severe consequences. Many in the school suffered from waterborne diseases that created health problems, affecting their daily lives. Limited accessibility also meant students wasted time collecting sufficient water to meet their needs. The difficult journey to collect water sapped their physical and emotional energy, creating roadblocks. For Esther, in particular, it lessened her opportunity to stay healthy and stay in school.

"Last year, we had a very hard time because there was not enough water at school. I had to carry water from home every day, and sometimes my container was not very clean. I would feel tired before lessons even started. The water we got from the scoop hole was also not clean because we shared the water with livestock, and I often got sick with stomach upsets. Sometimes we did not even have drinking water in school, and it was difficult to concentrate in class," Esther recalled.

Since the Rainwater Harvest Tank Installation

Your generous gift last year was much more than a simple donation; it was a powerful statement about your commitment to this community and Esther’s future. By supporting the water solution, you made clean water an everyday reality, fostering hope for a brighter future.

Esther at her school's rain tank.

Reliable and clean water lays the groundwork for improved health, education, and economic possibilities, allowing people to thrive. We frequently hear from those we interview that "water is life!"

"My health has gotten much better. I no longer get stomach infections like before because we are drinking clean water. I also don’t miss school because of sickness, so I feel stronger and more active in class," Esther said.

Esther's strength has increased her resolve!

"I have been doing much better. Since I don’t carry water from home or fall sick often, I come to school early and pay more attention in class. I can now focus on my studies, and my performance has improved," she said.

The Future is Looking Bright!

A year ago, you made a difference for Esther and the rest of her school. This is just the first chapter of their story as access to clean water continues to improve their lives!

At The Water Project, we value sustainability and want to ensure that people continue to thrive. We commit to monitoring this project to ensure the water is always flowing and safe to consume. We inspect the system hardware, track water availability, conduct sanitary inspections, and collect water quality samples to identify risks. We work with our team on the ground to resolve them.

You gave Esther a crucial tool for achieving her dreams: access to clean water. Together, we can eagerly expect that, with this precious resource, Esther's enthusiasm and courage will help her fulfill her dreams.

"I dream of becoming a doctor in the future. I want to help people who are sick, especially children in my community, so they can grow up healthy," she continued.

 

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 Katse 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 Katse 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.

Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 323 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2025

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/04/2026

Project Features


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Community Profile

At Katse Primary School, the 323 staff members and students struggle to access enough water to meet their most basic needs. Due to the small capacity of the rain tanks on the school campus, students must spend their time collecting water from extremely contaminated scoop holes instead.

Students must seek out seasonal scoop holes when their rain tank runs dry, which is often. The scoop holes are open to human and animal waste, creating a high risk of water-related illnesses.

Field Officer Alex Koech shared, "The scoop holes are unprotected; thus, animal feces, dust, and other debris contaminate the water. The pupils have to walk several kilometers carrying water in their jerricans to school, which is very exhausting. They are shared with the rest of the community members, [so] the water supply [is] inadequate. The tanks in the school cannot harvest enough water to sustain the entire population."

At times, the school also relies on water pumped to the school from the local river but that is a costly venture that the school can not afford.

"The water pumped to the school is expensive, and offsetting the water expenses is difficult considering the school's meager resources. Hygiene and sanitation (general and personal) have also been negatively affected because water is used sparingly," continued Alex.

“If education is the key to helping children escape poverty, access to water and sanitation is key to helping children safely maximize their education. To neglect this is to be careless with the well being and health of children," said Kelly Ann Naylor, Global Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF.

13-year-old Cynthia M., seen below, shared, "The water in our school is unclean and contaminated because it is acquired from scoop holes that are prone to animal and human contamination. I have been sick several times during this term due to stomach upsets caused by drinking the contaminated water."

"I [am] usually forced to stay at home and seek treatment, forcing me to miss class lessons. I have to bear with the thirst during most days in school because there is little or no water in the school. Even using the latrines is a daunting affair because they have an unpleasant odor caused by poor hygiene," she continued.

Time used to collect water or recover from illnesses takes away time students could be learning or playing.

"Running school operations is very difficult because lack of water affects several activities like preparation of meals, construction, as well as hygiene and sanitation. Although we have a feeding program, getting meals to be prepared on time is frustrating because water is scarce," shared teacher Margaret Ndoo, seen below in her classroom.

"Our learners also arrive late and find it hard to focus in class because they have to carry water over several kilometers across steep hills and rugged terrain. Improving the green scenery in our school is also challenging because we do not have enough water to irrigate trees and flowers. Conducting agriculture and home science practicals is also hard because we have to use the available water sparingly, and this has led to poor academic performance," Margaret continued.

Teachers and students are unable to thrive without access to clean water. Every day is an uphill battle to collect meager amounts of contaminated water. Installing a 104,000-liter rain tank will enable the Katse Primary School to collect more water during the rainy season to give them clean water throughout their school year.

If the students had clean, accessible water, they would no longer have to carry heavy jerricans to school daily. They would have time and energy to enjoy their childhood and focus on creating a better future. Teachers like Margaret would be able to give their students the tools they need to thrive without the constant worry and strain the water crisis at the Katse Primary School causes for everyone.

Water at schools is unique, which is why we need unique solutions.

The Proposed Solution, Determined Together...

At The Water Project, everyone has a part in conversations and solutions. We operate in transparency, believing it benefits everyone. We expect reliability from one another as well as our water solutions. Everyone involved makes this possible through hard work and dedication.

In a joint discovery process, community members determine their most advantageous water solution alongside our technical experts. Read more specifics about this solution on the What We're Building tab of this project page. Then, community members lend their support by collecting needed construction materials (sometimes for months ahead of time!), providing labor alongside our artisans, sheltering and feeding the builders, and supplying additional resources.

Water Access for Everyone

This water project is one piece in a large puzzle. In Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, we're working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources that guarantee public access now and in the future within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. One day, we hope to report that this has been achieved!

Training on Health, Hygiene & More

With the community's input, we've identified topics where training will increase positive health outcomes at personal, household, and community levels. We'll coordinate with them to find the best training date. Some examples of what we train communities on are:

  • Improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits
  • Safe water handling, storage & treatment
  • Disease prevention and proper handwashing
  • Income-generation
  • Community leadership, governance, & election of a water committee
  • Operation and maintenance of the water point

Handwashing Stations

Alongside each water source in Southeast Kenya schools, we also provide three new handwashing stations fitted with three taps each, allowing nine students to wash their hands at once. These will allow everyone at the school to wash their hands without running water. Handwashing is so important to help prevent future water-related illnesses in the school community.

The student health club will maintain the stations, fill them with water, and supply them with soap (which we will teach the school community how to make during the training!).

Project Updates


February, 2025: Katse Primary School Rainwater Catchment Complete!

Your contribution has given access to clean water for the Katse Primary School in Kenya, thanks to the completion of their 104,000-liter rain tank! Additionally, we installed handwashing stations and trained students and staff on sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for these students to thrive!

"I am glad that water will now be available within our school, and I will no longer need to carry water from home, which was very exacting. I will no longer be exposed to water-related infections and will be coming to school every day. There will also be enough water to drink, prepare our meals, and even clean our utensils," shared Esther, who is 14.

Esther.

Teachers were just as excited as the students about the new rain tank on campus!

"Our students will now have peace of mind while they're in school because they will have enough water to drink and even practice hygiene chores. They will be arriving to school early because they will no longer be burdened with carrying water from home. The clean water from the tank will inhibit [the] contraction of water-related infections, which would force some learners to be out of school while they seek [and] undergo treatment. These benefits will enable the students to concentrate in class and get good grades, fostering a better future," said 50-year-old teacher Esther Mwikali.

Esther Mwikal.

Rain Tank Construction

First, we held a meeting with all parents and the school’s 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 a gutter system.

"The parents, together with the school administration, put a lot of effort into ensuring the required materials (stones, sand, and ballast) were of the right quality and quantity before the construction began. The parents came to school with punctuality during the construction to provide their hard labor," shared Field Officer Alex Koech.

This tank is a whopping 104,000 liters, as it rarely rains in Southeastern Kenya. The more water the tank can store during the seasonal rains, the more water 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 rocks and mortar up to seven feet high for the tank's outer walls. With such sturdy construction (the walls are three feet thick!), the tank will stand for a long time.

We built a reinforced concrete column in the tank’s center to sustain the roof and prevent it from caving in. We plastered the walls inside and out with waterproof cement and installed guttering into the tank. Finally, we installed the roof of the tank, 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 new station has three taps, so nine students can wash their hands simultaneously.

School Education

We trained on health, hygiene, and sanitation topics. These included student health club activities, disease prevention, personal hygiene, and handwashing. We also covered water hygiene, latrine hygiene, and soapmaking.

There were 276 students who participated in the training.

"Our handwashing skills have been improved, and other practices, like improving food hygiene, personal hygiene, water hygiene, and having sanitation infrastructures will help in improving hygiene and reduction of diseases, thus living a healthy life," said 14-year-old Ndanu.

Ndanu.

"This training is an important one in our lives and in the lives of others. We have gained a lot of knowledge from this training and it will help us improve our hygienic practices. The skill of soap and latrine disinfectant making was of great importance, for we will train others at home, and the knowledge can be used to generate income at [the] homestead level."

Thank you for making all of this possible!




January, 2025: Exciting Progress at Katse Primary School!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for 13-year-old Cynthia and the entire Katse Primary School. Construction has begun on the new well project, bringing them one step closer to having clean, reliable water.

But that's not all—during construction, we’re also providing vital health training. These sessions equip the community with essential hygiene practices, ensuring that the benefits of clean water extend to lasting health improvements.

We’re so grateful for your role in making this possible. Stay tuned for more updates—soon; we’ll be celebrating the arrival of safe water in the Katse Primary School!




Project Photos