Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 411 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Oct 2016

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/15/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Africa Sand Dam Foundation. Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Welcome to the School

Maiani Primary School is one the oldest schools in the community. It has a big population of 411, and thus requires a large amount of water for daily use. Each day, the school needs at least 4500 liters in order to fully take care of cooking, cleaning, and drinking. However, the school is only able to get 2000 liters each day.

Maiani Primary was selected for a project because of a recommendation from the Nzengu Ngomani A Self-Help Group which is already working with ASDF. The group members send their children to this primary school, and so the needs of the school and its students also affect this group of farmers. The desire to solve water insecurity goes beyond the household level to the community level!

Water Situation

The main source of water for Maiani Primary is the 2000 liters collected by the student body. Since students come from many different places, it is impossible to pinpoint a primary water source. Each student is expected to bring at least 5 liters of water. Failure to do so results in a student being sent back home to fetch that water, or else they will not be allowed to attend class. Many students feel this is a form of punishment, and thus stay away from school to avoid being sent back home in the first place.

The school uses the collected water for cleaning and cooking purposes. The school also has a 10,000-liter water tank which they use to catch rainwater. Unfortunately, even if this tank is full, it is not sufficient to meet the school's needs.

Sanitation Situation

Maiani Primary School has 18 pit latrines, but they are all old and almost full. There is a terrible odor, and the boys' doors are falling apart. The boys have no privacy when they wish to use the latrine!

No hand-washing stations were observed during our initial visit. The school has several compost pits in central areas, and burns the garbage to keep the pits from overflowing. Without proper sanitation facilities, students suffer both physically and academically. Teacher Jonathan Mbithu says that the female students "struggle with confidence and esteem issues... due to lack of adequate water and clean sanitation rooms."

The only emphasis on sanitation and hygiene is made in the classroom, with little practical activity. The children only understand the basics of brushing your teeth every morning or washing your body daily, but it is just knowledge. There has been a disconnect between knowing and doing.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

The facilitator will hold training for one day at the school compound. This will involve students and some of their teachers. CHAST (Children’s Hygiene and Sanitation Training) will be used to teach personal hygiene and how to handle the new rainwater catchment tank. There will be a huge emphasis on how and when to wash hands.

Plans: Rainwater Catchment Tank

The tank is projected to have a volume of 105,000 liters. The community has already begun collecting the local materials used for construction, such as stone and sand.

Plans: Hand-Washing Stations

Four hand-washing stations will be delivered before training, so that they can be used for demonstration and practice. Each is a 2500-liter plastic tank fitted with a tap. The school management will ensure that there is always water in the tank and that the taps are working.

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Maiani Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater catchment tank and latrines for the Maiani Primary School in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, our partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partners Titus Mbithi and Joe Kioko with you.




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: Maiani Primary School

December, 2017

While coming to school last year before the tank, we’d carry water from home. We no longer do that because the tank has enough water for drinking, cleaning, and planting the trees.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Maiani 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!

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater harvesting tank and latrines for the Maiani Primary School in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, our partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partners Titus Mbithi and Joe Kioko with you.


Students attending Maiani Primary School are no longer required to carry water from home every morning. The tank built last year provides enough clean drinking water for both themselves and their teachers.

The school has begun a tree nursery because there's even enough water to meet the needs of saplings.

We met Headteacher Elizabeth Muli at the tank to talk about how it's impacted her and her students' lives over the past year. She said "I can be sure my pupils and teachers have enough clean drinking water." She continued to say that there's even enough for parents to use when they hold their meetings there.

We met some happy students during our second quarter monitoring visit in June.

14-year-old Mumo Musyoki came to get a cup of clean water while we were at the tank. He echoed his headteacher's comments, saying that "while coming to school last year before the tank, we'd carry water from home. We no longer do that because the tank has enough water for drinking, cleaning, and planting the trees."

Headteacher Muli is happy with how her students and staff no longer have to worry where their water is going to come from. Since they have such a large tank, though, she asked whether or not there was a way to add even more gutters to the system so the tank would fill faster. This is something we can continue to discuss with her and the students' parents; whether or not there is enough clean roofing to feed another gutter.

Field Officer Titus Mbithi gives a thumbs up; this tank has been greatly benefiting Maiani Primary School.

Headteacher Muli, Mumo, and their peers are so grateful for the positive impact this clean water has had on their daily lives.


The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program and how you can help.


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 Maiani 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 Maiani 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.

What Life is like before Clean Water

October, 2016

We will be very happy once the tank is completed as we will have access to clean water at the school.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Maiani 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!

Driving on the hilly slopes of Kilome Sub County in Makueni County Kenya, one sees beautiful lush green fields on both sides of the road. An effect of the ongoing rains (April-May) turned El Niño here in Kenya. From the road, you cannot imagine inhabitants of such green fields dotted with homes, churches and schools are struggling with access to clean drinking water. One of the many schools here is Maiani Primary school, a mixed public day school with a total population of 398 pupils, 11 teachers and 2 non-teaching staff.  It is here where we meet 14-year-old Mwende Mwololo, a pupil for the last 7 years. All this time, she has been carrying 3 liters of water to school every day besides her heavy bag laden with books.

When Africa Sand Dam Foundation and The Water Project first heard about the plight of the pupils from members of Nzengu Ngomano Self-help group, a decision was made to construct a concrete 105,000 liter roof catchment tank at the school.

We then set out to hear first-hand what the water situation in the school is like. The road is bumpy, muddy and slippery and the weather this morning is cold and it’s drizzling.

Here’s the story as told by Mwende:

Our current water source at school is a small plastic tank we use because there are rains. When the water is finished, I carry a 3 litre jerry can of water to school every day. We fetch water from River Usi Unene. We carry water to school for sprinkling on our classroom floor to minimize dust. It is also used for cooking food that we are given by the government. We have been negatively impacted by using dirty water by contracting diseases such as stomach aches, diarrhea and typhoid. My friend Joy Mwende (who is 14 years old) contracted diarrhea and vomiting from gulping unclean water while we were swimming in the river. Luckily, she later recovered.

Mwende Mwololo (3)

We will be very happy once the tank is completed as we will have access to clean water at the school. Having clean water school means our food and teacher’s food will be cooked using clean water. As for me, I will now be drinking clean water that will not make me sick. At home, my elder brothers are responsible for fetching water. We fetch water from the river Usi unene but use it for washing utensils, clothes and for bathing.

Once the school water tank project is complete, we will be healthy from drinking clean water and our classes will be clean. We are grateful to those who sponsored the water tank being constructed because diseases will go down. In school, we have learned health education and are taught how to avoid diseases.

On going tank project (1)My fathers’ name is Mr. Francis Mwololo a shopkeeper in Nairobi and my Mums’ name is Mrs Agnes Mwololo. She is a housewife. I have 4 brothers and one sister. My favourite sibling is my eldest brother. His name is Stephen Wambua, currently a student at the University of Nairobi studying Medicine. I like him because he encourages me to work hard.

I take about 30 Minutes to walk home from school. My mum cares for my siblings when I am at school while hired farm helps tend to our farm and take care of our cattle.

When I wake up in the morning, I pray, wash my face, take breakfast and go to school. After school, I   assist my mother in cooking, washing utensils and washing the house. I help in fetching water at home only during the dry season and during the holidays. I go to the Compassion International project every Saturday to read and study about spiritual issues.

Given an opportunity, I would like to live and study in America because there’s a lot of education there. Am inspired by other Kenyans who have lived and studied in America”.

Mwende with colleagues and parents (3)


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 Maiani 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 Maiani 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

Project Sponsor - The Lifeplus Foundation