Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 271 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Oct 2016

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 01/14/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Western Water and Sanitation Forum (WEWASAFO). Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Welcome to the School

Ebwambwa Secondary School was started by the Ebwambwa Baptist Church. The church met this need when they realized children had to walk to the neighboring Mwiyala Village for school. Ebwambwa Secondary School is located next to Ebwambwa Primary School: 1.5 km from Kakamega-Webuye road in Ebwambwa Village, Sichirayi sub-location, Shieywe location of Lurambi Constituency within Kakamega County.

Ebwambwa Secondary School has a total of 252 students, of which 103 are boys and 149 are girls. The school employs 14 teachers and five supplementary staff.

A normal day in Ebwambwa Community begins when the mothers and daughters wake up to fetch water. The first thing they do with the water is brew tea for the rest of the family. Then, the remaining water is used for domestic chores like cleaning. Children of school-going age are prepared to leave; bathed, dressed and fed. The man of the house leaves to work on the family farm. When a woman is finished with her household chores, she will join her husband on the farm.

Water Situation

At the end of last year, Ebwambwa Primary School received a water project resulting in a rainwater catchment tank and new latrines. The secondary school does not yet have its own water source, and so students often run over and fetch water from their neighbor. There is also a stream nearby, so if the rainwater catchment tank is too busy with primary students, secondary students will fetch water from this alternative.

Using the alternative source is a sacrifice for these older students. The stream is unprotected and open to contamination from surface runoff, human and animal activity, nearby farming and latrines, and open defecation. The impact is huge; secondary students are often absent because they ail from common waterborne diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. A lot of time which would have been spent to improve the academic performance of students is instead wasted on numerous trips to the spring in search of water.

Once in a while, a suffering student never makes it back to school. Ebwambwa Secondary School is in great need of their own source of safe water.

Sanitation Situation

There are seven usable pit latrines, but they are not clean. Without enough drinking water, students cannot be expected to maintain a high level of sanitation and hygiene.

There is only one hand-washing station available for students. When the headmistress heard that a project was being implemented in the neighboring primary section, she immediately sent in her own application for help. She explained the dire need of her students in the areas of sanitation and water, and after our assessment, we agreed to this water project. Our initial visit to the school established that the school sanitation levels need to be addressed, since it only has two latrine doors for boys, three doors for girls, and two for teachers and staff.

Project Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Teachers, students, and three members of the school management board will be present for two days of training sessions. This training is meant to equip participants with the skills needed to practice good hygiene, and to promote these practices among peers and the greater community. The end goal is to eliminate water and hygiene-related diseases!

The facilitator plans to use PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Training), CTC (child to child), discussions, lectures, and demonstrations to teach topics including but not limited to disease transmission, hand-washing, and water treatment. The CTC method will prepare students to lead other students into healthy habits, as well as kickstart a CTC club for the school.

Project Plans: Rainwater Catchment Tank

A 30,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will be built on Ebwambwa Secondary School's grounds, so that students no longer have to borrow from the primary children, or even worse, travel to the unprotected spring. Local parents and school administration will work together with our construction teams, and will also ensure that all local materials are available at the work site. These materials include sand, ballast, hard core, sugar sacks... and food fuel for our artisans!

Project Plans: VIP Latrines

Two triple-door VIP (ventilated improved pit) latrines will be constructed, three doors for each gender. Once students have their own water source, they will have the ability to keep their new latrines clean.

Project Plans: Hand-Washing Stations

Two 60-liter containers with stands will be delivered to the secondary school. This will give students and staff a total of three usable hand-washing stations. The CTC club will be responsible for filling these stations and making sure they remain clean.

The entire Ebwambwa Secondary School fraternity is appealing to the donor to consider their situation and assist them by constructing a proper rainwater catchment tank and VIP toilets. They believe that with these facilities, health will improve significantly, and this will translate to better performance amongst students. Better performance will provide greater opportunity!

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Ebwambwa Secondary School

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a rainwater harvesting tank and latrines at the Ebwambwa Secondary School  in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, 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 to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Jonathan Kipkirui Mutai, 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: Ebwambwa Secondary School

December, 2017

The lives of the students at Ebwambwa have improved due to reduced water borne diseases that initially hindered academic performance. This was because much of their time was used to seek medication rather than studies.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Ebwambwa 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!

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a rainwater harvesting tank and latrines at the Ebwambwa Secondary School  in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, 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 to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Jonathan Kipkirui Mutai, with you.


The ongoing survival of many schools in Kenya is threatened if they are not able to provide water and sanitary facilities for the schools, yet it is difficult for parents to pay these expenses in addition to usual school fees. The Water Project and WEWASAFO have targeted schools just like this because of the potential that can be unlocked for both students and staff when clean water and sanitation is available.

Because the responsibility for fetching water often falls primarily on the women and children in Western Kenyan communities, the women and children are the ones who often see the greatest benefit with a clean water source.

Officer Jonathan, Mrs. Jessica and two of her students at the water tank.

This is truly the case at the Ebwambwa Secondary School, where the principal, Mrs. Jessica Sikuku, raves about the impact on both student health and student performance since the installation of the rainwater harvesting tank and latrines: "The School mean score has improved and more students have been admitted to university. We are very happy since the absentee rate at the school has dropped. The school now is accessing safe drinking water unlike before." Access to clean drinking water has literally increased the flow of students from this school into higher education at Kenyan Universities!

Benjamin washing his hands with water from the tank.

Benjamin Wafulah, age 17, describes the changes to his daily routine because of the rainwater harvesting tank at the school.  He shares, "Currently I am concentrating in studies as no more of my time is wasted fetching water from nearby rivers and streams. Again, I am happy because I no longer have to carry water from home. Water is now available in the school compound and I can access safe drinking water." This water has even greater impact because of the hygiene and sanitation training and practices that have been integrated into the life of the students.  A clean environment and proper sanitation facilities are critical components to sustainable health impact.  WEWASAFO continues to monitor the facilities at this school and treat the water tank to ensure a high quality of clean drinking water for the students.


As you can see, clean water access creates ripples of life that extend from school to family, from family to community, and from the community to locations throughout the nation.  We are excited to stay in touch with Ebwambwa Secondary School and to report the impact as they continue on their journey with clean water.

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 Ebwambwa 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 Ebwambwa 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.