Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 305 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - May 2017

Functionality Status:  Water Flowing - Needs Attention

Last Checkup: 02/04/2024

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

In 1999 as they watched their children leave on faraway journeys to school, the ADC (African Divine Church) felt the need to have a school of their own. Most of these students had to drop out of school because they would get to school late after the long trek and suffer punishment from teachers.

The church was so dedicated to the idea of having a school that they decided to give up their permanent church hall and kitchen as the first classrooms so that learning could begin. It wasn’t easy at the beginning, but they struggled to contribute their hard-earned money and own strength to bake bricks and mine ballast to build three more classrooms.

Early in the morning by 6:50AM, all pupils of ADC Chanda Primary School must be within the school compound or else punishment awaits them. Classrooms and offices must be swept and the compound well-cleaned before starting the 30-minute morning preps. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, there are no assemblies to raise the Kenyan flag, so morning preps stretch out to fill an hour.

At 12:40PM, children go back home to eat lunch in order to return by 1:30 for afternoon sessions. There are also class discussions led by one pupil at a time up until 4PM. Once class is dismissed at four, students are required to either play games or join in club meetings to develop these children's talents. A bell is rung every evening at 5PM for students to return home as the security guard arrives to watch the compound at night.

Water Situation

The 10,000-liter plastic tank in the compound doesn't even hold enough water for cleaning classrooms. Therefore, mud carried on children’s shoes dries and makes classes dirty until the weekly cleaning. This explains why jiggers have infested this entire institution, with some children missing classes due to pain in their feet and toes caused by those parasites.

On the hard copy of the school timetable, there is no time allocated for fetching water. However, from time to time lessons have to be interrupted for the children to rush to the spring in shifts. Pupils carry water back in jerrycans with no covers, and water spills on them as they lift it to their heads and as they jostle it along the way. They reach school with wet clothes that dries as they continue with lessons.

Farming is also done close to the spring, so it is likely that fertilizers and other chemicals are washed into the water when it rains. It is normal for students to suffer from diarrhea after drinking the water. "When we bring that water, we take it to the staffroom to be used by teachers, therefore we do not remain with water to drink, let alone washing hands," one student complained.

Sanitation Situation

All employees have one latrine door for gentlemen and one for ladies. Six functional latrine doors are for each gender of student. This is not adequate and pupils have to wait for a long time in line to ease themselves. "When the bell goes, a teacher has to stop immediately because every child runs to reach latrines fast and avoid waiting for long at the entrance," the deputy headteacher explained. He further shared that the very first latrines donated by the church are too old and dangerous to use, and the walls have collapsed and now provide no privacy for their users.

These children also need a thorough health and hygiene training. Jigger fleas are dangerous parasites that can result in lameness and thus dropping out of school. What's worse is that these are contagious! The school has already had thirty children infected, and the deputy headteacher fears that it will soon infect the entire school if it is not properly addressed by professionals. "We can only tell them to maintain cleanliness to avoid jiggers, but we do not know how to cure those parasites. They are spreading like wildfire. It was two children at the beginning and now the number has already shot to thirty, and these are the few that could be seen. How about those ones in upper classes that fear to accept that they are infected and then hide their feet in shoes so that we do not realize! The worst bit is that they step in our dirty latrines with bare feet that are infected; I just cannot tell exactly how sick our children may be. For sure they are in danger, please help us," the deputy headteacher concluded.

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: Rainwater Catchment Tank

A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will be constructed on school grounds. Teachers, students, and parents will gather the 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.

With adequate clean water, the school will have water for drinking, cooking, cleaning, and hand-washing.

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.

School administration and parents are positive that with these new facilities and training, their students’ academic performance will improve. Students will be healthy and empowered to focus on what’s important!

Project Updates


September, 2018: A Year Later: ADC Chanda Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped construct a rainwater catchment tank for ADC Chanda 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: ADC Chanda Primary School

September, 2018

Vivian Osida is spending her time preparing for her end of school year exams, not fetching water, thanks to the installation of the tank.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help ADC Chanda 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 ADC Chanda 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 Christine Luvandwa with you.


The environment of this school is clean and the facilities serve the population of the school sufficiently. The kitchen is now able to save time while preparing lunch for the class seven and eight pupils thanks to the immediate availability of water. Children from the lower classes are able to get drinking water easily now, and therefore appear healthier.

"In the past, we had several pupils miss school days with complaints of stomachaches. We have now seen reduced cases," health teacher Milton Musalia said.

"In addition, most of the pupils would go to get water and end up spending the whole day away from school."

Millton Musalia

Before the implementation of the project, students experienced long queues in the toilet area and would not wash their hands regularly. Now, they can use the new latrines freely and wash their hands after every use.

Construction of the 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 ADC Chanda Primary School is changing many lives.

"As a class eight pupil, I have a greater chance of getting better grades during my final year exams, because the time that I previously spent to go fetch water is now used for studying," 13-year-old Vivian Osida said.

Vivian Osida

Their water, and thus their school environment, are clean. The school has have implemented some of the recommendations we made during training, such as collecting all their trash in one area. This shows their commitment towards ensuring improved sanitation and hygiene.

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 ADC Chanda 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 ADC Chanda 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)