Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Oct 2016

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 01/16/2024

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

Matende COG (Church of God) Primary School was established in the year 1936 by the Church of God missionaries who were also concerned about the need of education for African children in the area. They partnered with the community and established the school in the heart of Kakamega Municipality. Today, the school sits on 2.4 hectares of land and has a total enrollment of 409 pupils out of which 203 are boys and 206 are girls. There are also 60 early education children out of which 25 are girls and 35 are boys. The school also provides for 28 students with special needs. During our first visit to the school, we noticed that even one of the teachers is physically impaired and has to use crutches for support. This teacher is a great role model and encouragement for the students, so that they can believe that disability does not equal inability! Everyone can learn.

The school employs 22 teachers; 20 are employed by the Teacher's Service Commission (TSC) and the two early education teachers are employed by the school's Board of Management (BOM). The school employs three support staff throughout the week; one cook and two guards. (Editor’s Note: While this many people may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people.  This school and their community would be a good candidate for a second project in the future so that adequate water is available. To learn more, click here.)

Since this area is in the busiest municipality, many pupils live in rented homesteads with none to little field land to practice agricultural activities.

Students wake up early and go straight to school. Lessons here begin at 7:30am and run up to the lunch hour at a quarter past noon. There are two short breaks before lunch, and during these breaks, pupils rush to the small plastic water tank to get a drink. After lunch, pupils return to their classes to learn until 4pm after which they have about an hour to play sports and games. This routine is the normal Monday to Friday schedule.

Water Situation

The school lacks a proper water source, and only has a plastic water tank that can hold at the most 1000 liters. 1000 liters is not nearly enough for the student population, let alone the staff. There's another small plastic reservoir, but it's worn out and nonfunctional. A full tank does not last long, so if there is little or no rain, the school has no water. This forces the students to go fetch water from a river that is 2km away. Other students don't want to make the 2km trek and instead carry water from their homes. In the pictures, you'll see that some teachers supplement the water supply by buying bottled water.

Sanitation Situation

We also noticed that the school’s sanitation needs to be addressed, since it only has four latrine stalls for boys and four for girls. And just because they have these four bathroom stalls doesn't mean they should be used! They are all very old, and most of them don't even have doors for privacy. Four other doors can't be used at all, since cracks in the floor pose great danger to users.

The school only has one hand-washing station that is used by the teachers. Since students have no way to wash their hands, they are at a high risk of contracting communicable diseases. This, paired with waterborne disease, has caused this school to have a high rate of absenteeism. Students are often too sick to attend school, and their families are forced to spend their meager funds on medical treatment.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Teachers and students will be trained on hygiene and sanitation practices for two days. This will equip them with relevant skills on how to operate and maintain the new rainwater catchment tank. It will also 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.

Plans: Rainwater Catchment Tank

This rainwater catchment tank will have a 30,000-liter capacity. The school will be involved in making sure that all the needed local materials are on site, such as sand, ballast, and hard core. They will also supervise and monitor the project.

Plans: VIP Latrines

Six new VIP (ventilated improved pit) latrines will be dug and built for these students. This will help shorten the bathroom lines and ease the rate of open defecation on campus. With a water tank, the students will have more water to use, giving them a chance to keep their latrines and classrooms cleaner.

Plans: Hand-Washing Stations

Two hand-washing stations will be delivered to school grounds. They are large, plastic containers that come with stands and are fitted with taps. The students that are members of the CTC club will be responsible for ensuring the tanks always have water and a cleaning agent available.

Project Updates


December, 2017: A Year Later: Matende Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater catchment system and latrines for Matende Primary School in Kenya. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can 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, Joan Were, 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: Matende Primary School

December, 2017

Before its construction, we used to fetch water from a nearby river to clean our toilets and classrooms. Now, we have access to clean water for drinking and we no longer waste studying time going to the river.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Matende 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 catchment system and latrines for Matende Primary School in Kenya. Because of these gifts and contributions from our monthly donors, partners can 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, Joan Were, with you.

The students now understand the importance of washing hands with soap after visiting the toilets and before handling food. This can be attributed to the provision of hand washing facilities and hygiene education that encourage healthy behavior. Being a primary school with playful children, the school has managed to keep the tank and sanitation facilities in good condition.

“Since the tank was constructed, we have seen a great improvement in the general school cleanliness,” teacher Decirious Shimba shares. “The students now study in a clean environment as they are able to clean their classrooms regularly due to water availability.”

“The health of the students has also improved because now we record only a few cases of absenteeism due to stomachache and diarrhea,” he continues. “This improvement on health can be attributed to introduction of hand washing facilities that are placed near the toilets. The hand washing facilities are also functional since they can be refilled with water from the tank. The school is lively, especially during break time and one cannot miss the students crowding at the tank washing hands and fetching drinking water. Our kitchen staffs also have clean water to prepare meals for teachers.”

The tank has really helped us as students,” shares 14-year-old Valary Andayi. “Before its construction, we used to fetch water from a nearby river to clean our toilets and classrooms. Now, we have access to clean water for drinking and we no longer waste studying time going to the river.”

We will continue visiting this school every three months to treat the water tank. We will also do regular follow ups with the management to ensure that the tank is cleaned.

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 Matende 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 Matende 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 Underwriter - Mary Molloy
Pfizer Foundation - Mary Molloy
3 individual donor(s)