Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - May 2017

Functionality Status:  Low/No Water or Mechanical Breakdown

Last Checkup: 02/20/2024

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

Kilingili Primary School was founded in 1957 by the Church of God, which donated all of the land the school sits on today. It currently enrolls a total student population of 693 and employs 20 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.)

Kilingili Primary has high enrollment thanks to its students' academic performance; it is one of the best schools near the border of Kakamega and Vihiga counties. It is located in Kilingili Village nearby Kilingili Market, which gives the students and staff convenient access to services and foods.

The headteacher told us that "most parents are poor, but they make sure that their children get proper education by sacrificing the little they have to support it. Even though we are faced with challenges of lack of safe, clean drinking water and enough latrines, we have demonstrated excellence in our academic performance compared to schools which have everything within their reach. If we get these projects at our school, I am very much sure without a doubt that we are going to do much better than previous years."

A normal day for a Kilingili student begins at 6AM. They prepare for school, making sure they have a full jerrycan of water to be used for drinking and cooking. When they arrive, they start by sweeping the classrooms. After cleaning, they have morning study hall, regular lessons, and then an hour's lunch when they are sent home to find food. Students return for afternoon classes and are held for games and sports hour that starts at 3:30PM.

Though the school has a vegetable garden and a nursery for tree seedlings, the yield isn't close to meeting the school's needs. Teachers consume all of the vegetables, and students take the little trees home to plant.

Headteacher Omukhomba learned about the opportunity for a project when he visited Essumba Primary School last year and witnessed the improvements made there. He asked for our contact information, and we visited to assess the school's situation.

Water Situation

The school has a small 5,000-liter reservoir for catching and storing both rainwater and the water that students bring.

One of the most popular places for students to fetch the required water is an unprotected hand-dug well in their community. Unprotected means that there is no cover or pump to protect the well's water from the elements and contaminants. The fetching process itself contaminates the water inside; students have attached a plastic container to the end of the rope, lifting it up and down until their own containers are full.

Since the school only has 5,000 liters of storage, students' water is stored in their own containers.

There's no way to regulate where and how students get their water, and this has led to outbreaks of waterborne disease. Many students have to walk long distances in search of water, which consumes their time. No sufficient water source on school grounds means that valuable class time is spend on finding a sufficient amount of water to get them through, day by day.

Sanitation Situation

There are 14 pit latrines, but not all of them are usable. They are made of concrete and plastered floors, brick walls, and roofed with iron sheets. Most are fit with wooden doors, but some of these doors have fallen off. Another block of latrines were condemned by the department of public health, declared too dangerous for small students. The leftovers are not nearly enough for a student population in the hundreds.

There is one hand-washing station with soap. Garbage is sorted in an open area out back to make a pit for burning and a pit for compost. This compost is used as fertilizers in the school garden.

"Many people lack information on basic health issues that affect them daily, and leads to many of them suffering in silence. When a disaster like an outbreak of a disease strikes, people start to talk of how to cure or treat it rather than taking measures to control its outbreak," said Headteacher John Omukhomba.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Parents, teachers, and students will be trained for two days of sessions on hygiene and sanitation.

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. After our initial assessment of conditions, our facilitator also plans to strongly emphasize the importance of having and using both latrine and hand-washing facilities. 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

A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will be constructed on school grounds. Teachers, students, and parents will gather the local materials needed for this project, including sand, ballast, bricks, and hardcore. This contribution will fuel a sense of responsibility for the school and community to take care of their new facilities. Once materials are mobilized, the WEWASAFO team will arrive to lead the construction effort. Once construction wraps up, the tank will begin collecting valuable rainwater that we will disinfect with chlorine; water that is safe for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and everything else that students need! They will no longer have to worry about fetching and bring enough water for their needs each day.

Plans: VIP Latrines

Two triple-door latrines will be constructed, providing three new latrines for each gender. Latrine materials will be mobilized the same way as the tank, ensuring the school feels these facilities are truly theirs. And with a rainwater catchment tank nearby, there will be enough water to keep them clean.

Plans: Hand-Washing Stations

Two hand-washing stations will be delivered to the school before training. These new stations come in the form of two 60-liter containers fitted with a tap. The training facilitator will demonstrate how to properly wash hands, and then students will have a chance to practice in groups. The CTC club will be responsible for filling the hand-washing containers on a daily basis and seeing that there’s enough cleaning agent. They will be able to follow through with this thanks to the water tank on school grounds!

"For a very long time, we have never had any well-wishers or sympathizers of the school come to us, but Wewasafo has done where others have failed. We as a school believe that this is a New Year's gift for us from God and we tightly embrace it," said the headteacher.

Project Updates


August, 2018: A Year After: Kilingili Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped build a rainwater catchment tank and latrines for the Kilingili Primary School in Western 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 After: Kilingili Primary School

August, 2018

“Sanitation and hygiene challenges we faced before are now a forgotten story. The school compound looks so pleasant and good with the presence of a very big tank and new latrines.” – Headteacher John Temba

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Kilingili 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 tank and latrines for the Kilingili Primary School in Western 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 – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Wilson Kipchoge, with you.


Upon entering the school compound, you are welcomed by a very quiet environment as pupils concentrate on studying.

"Since the projects were implemented in this school, our pupils look healthier and alert even in class. With this evidence, the performance has also risen a clear indication that the time wasted previously in search of water has been converted into learning," Headteacher John Temba said.

The performance of the pupils has also gone up due to the availability of safe water from the 50,000-liter tank within the school compound.

"Before the tank was constructed, I used to carry water every day but now I only carry books and arrive at the school very early for my studies," Mercy Owela, a 14-year-old student, said.

"When I compare my previous performance with the current one, there is a great improvement. Safe water is plentiful in school, thus I consume as many liters as possible to quench my thirst."

Installation of the water tank and latrines is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project and WEWASAFO (our trusted local partner) are 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 at Kilingili Primary School is changing many lives.

Student Mercy Owela stands beside Wewasafo staff

"Sanitation and hygiene challenges we faced before are now a forgotten story. The school compound looks so pleasant and good with the presence of a very big tank and new latrines," Mr. Temba said.

This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, WEWASAFO, 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 Kilingili 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 Kilingili 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 - Imago Dei Community
1 individual donor(s)