Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Apr 2017

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/02/2024

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 from Kenya (edited for clarity, as needed):

Welcome to the School

Mahanga Primary provides classes for 750 students of which 316 are boys and 434 are girls. The school employs 17 teachers and four support staff.

(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 community would be a good candidate for a second project in the future so adequate water is available. To learn more, click here.)

Students wake up no later than 5:30AM to prepare for school. Their walk to school includes stops to fetch water from different sources along the way. The more water a student can carry to school, the more time is saved for studying.

After morning exercises from 6AM to 7AM, students immediately start their cleaning routine. This involves sweeping classrooms and washing latrines.

Normal classes begin at 8AM until lunch at 12:45PM. When students return from lunch, students from upper classes are asked to carry water back to school in the same jerrycans they used in the morning. This is to help them clean their classrooms again in the evening before they go home.

The headmaster of Mahanga Primary witnessed the project that took place last year at Cheptulu Primary School. He brought an application letter directly to our office in Kakamega to invite us for a visit.

Water Situation

The school obviously doesn't have its own water source, nor does it have a place to store water that students fetch. Each student must fill a five or 10-liter with water each morning and afternoon to provide enough water for cooking, drinking, and cleaning. Most of the sources that students walk to are unprotected from outside contamination. One of these sources is Isaiah Magumba Spring, which can be seen in the "See Photos & Video" section.

After using this water, students complain of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, while many others have runny stomachs. These students miss class for days at a time.

Other students, though healthy, prefer to skip school to avoid continuous trips to fetch water.

Headmaster John Musalia said, "Since I came to this school, water has been a challenge and it's really interfering with studies. This is because water is life, and we cannot do without it. Many children have suffered from waterborne diseases as a result of taking contaminated water. On average, 10 pupils miss classes per day."

Sanitation Situation

There are six latrines for girls, six for boys, and two reserved for teaching staff. This means that there's one latrine for every 72 girls and one for every 53 boys! This shortage leads to long lines during break, discomfort, and tardiness returning to class.

Four latrines are totally full, but some students are forced to use them when they can't wait any longer in line.

There are no hand-washing stations for students or staff to use, but either way, there wouldn't be enough water to keep them full.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training and Hand-Washing Stations

Training will be held for two days. The facilitator will use PHAST (participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation), ABCD (asset-based community development), CTC (child to child), lectures, group discussions, and handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good practices within the school. The CTC method will prepare students to lead other students into healthy habits, as well as kickstart a CTC club for the school. This CTC club will oversee the new facilities, such as hand-washing stations, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The two hand-washing stations will be delivered to the school, and the club will fill them with water on a daily basis and make sure there is always a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.

Plans: VIP Latrines

Two triple-door latrines will be constructed with local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will be given to girls, while the other three will be given to the boys.

Plans: Rainwater Catchment Tank

A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will help gather the needed construction materials such as sand, rocks, and water for mixing cement. Once finished, this tank can begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff. Students will no longer have to leave their school in search of water!

We’re excited for this project to become a reality so that students and staff can focus on education. There will be an adequate source of clean water at Mahanga Primary School! We expect that health will improve and absences will decrease.

Project Updates


September, 2018: A Year Later: Mahanga Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a rainwater catchment tank for Mahanga Primary School in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories. Read more...




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: Mahanga Primary School

September, 2018

We used to see the students return home each day for lunch to collect water. Now, there is plenty of water at the school to meet all of the students’ daily needs.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Mahanga 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 construct a rainwater catchment tank for Mahanga Primary School in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – and we’re excited to share this one from Janet Kayi with you.


Life for students at Mahanga Primary School has improved a great deal over the past year due to the support from The Water Project. We no longer meet the pupils carrying their jerrycans back home during lunch break to carry water from different sources from home back to school.

"Since the project last year, pupils no longer carry water from home every morning and during Lunch break for use in school," headteacher Albert Anjiji said.

"Pupils now have enough time for studies since water is available within the school compound."

Pupils are practicing good hygiene by using the ten steps to wash their hands after visiting the toilet. Children now enjoy sitting in clean classrooms since they have water for cleaning.

"Initially, the boys and girls used to wait in long lines to share the same toilets, but now girls have their own latrines. The school now have feeding program for class 7 and 8 pupils since we have enough water for cooking, washing utensils and clean water for drinking," Anjiji added.

Construction of the rain tank is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project is committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by donors like you, allows us to maintain our relationships with communities by visiting up to 4 times each year to ensure that the water points are safe and reliable.

This is just one of the many ways that we monitor projects and communicate with you. Additionally, you can always check the functionality status and our project map to see how all of our water points are performing, based on our consistent monitoring data.

One project is just a drop in the bucket towards ending the global water crisis, but the ripple effects of this project are truly astounding. This tank in Mahanga Primary School is changing many lives.

Ruth Ambia

"After we were trained on good hygiene practice we now love practicing it," 14-year-old student Ruth Ambia said.

"Cases of diarrhea and stomachache are now a thing of the past. I now wash my hands at five critical times. We now have enough water for cleaning our classrooms and toilets."

This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, our local teams, the community, and you. We are excited to stay in touch with this community and support their journey with safe water.

Read more about The Water Promise 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 Mahanga 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 Mahanga 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

1 individual donor(s)