December, 2017: Lelmokwo Boys' Secondary School Project Complete

Lelmokwo Boys' Secondary School in Kenya now has a new source of safe, clean water thanks to your generous donation. A new rainwater catchment system has been built, and there are now six new latrines being used. Two hand-washing stations have been installed, and students have received training in sanitation and hygiene. Just imagine the difference these resources will make in the lives of these children!

You made it happen, now help keep the water flowing! Join our team of monthly donors and help us maintain this rainwater catchment tank and many other projects.

The report below from our partner gives the latest details of the project. We also just updated the project page with new pictures.

Project Result: New Knowledge

Hygiene and sanitation training was organized by the deputy principal, who mobilized teachers and students to attend. The participants were selected from every class from form one to form four, especially those who already displayed strong leadership skills.

The training was held in one of the school's laboratories. The venue was selected because the other available rooms were occupied by students taking exams that were previously scheduled.

Attendance was overwhelming, surpassing our intended target. A total of 54 participants were there.

Though there are taps for water in the lab, there has been no reliable clean water for their experiments.

We taught an entire lesson on management and maintenance of the new tank and latrine facilities. Regular checking and cleaning of the gutter system is a must! It’s also important to treat the water while it is still in the tank. We also covered topics including but not limited to:

– Water pollution and water treatment

– Personal and environmental hygiene

– Group dynamics, leadership, and governance

– Forming an effective CTC (child to child) club

– Hand-washing

Demonstrations were used for hand-washing, tooth-brushing, solar disinfection, and many other topics. We facilitated group discussions and presentations, and students took part in role-plays. The students also received handouts which will help them teach hygiene and sanitation to their peers.

The CTC club will include both students and teachers who want to take responsibility for spreading the message of good health and hygiene among their peers. They will also be responsible for managing hand-washing stations, cleaning latrines, and keeping the school environment tidy. A water user committee has also been formed by parents and school administration, which will be responsible for overseeing and maintaining the new facilities. And since the tank was finished by the time we held training, we could take everyone to see exactly what we were talking about when it comes to caring for their new water source. These students met right after out training session to delegate duties among its members.

15-year-old Victor told us, "Today I am happy to be part of this educative forum. Personally, I have learned how to properly wash hands with soap and also importance of maintaining high hygiene standards."

The entire group poses for a picture after training.

Project Result: VIP Latrines

This project funded the installation of six new VIP (ventilated improved pit) latrines. All of these latrines are easy to use and clean. And with a rainwater catchment tank, there should be enough water to keep them clean all the time!

Project Result: Hand-Washing Stations

The two hand-washing stations were delivered to school and handed over to the CTC club. These have been placed outside of the boys’ latrines to encourage hand-washing after latrine use. CTC club members will teach other students how to properly wash their hands at these stations, and will make sure there is always soap or ash available. Now the school has the stations they need, and they have the water to fill them.

The provision of hand-washing facilities was so jubilantly received by the students, who had never had a chance to wash their hands before eating their meals. Previously, the students used to just rush into the lunch line without a thought of cleaning their hands.

Project Result: Rainwater Catchment Tank

Construction for this 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank was successful!

Parents, staff, and students helped our artisans gather everything needed for construction. All the while, women cooked meals for the artisans, and the school provided accommodations for the artisans during their work. Some local men even helped our artisans with their manual labor.

The process officially began with our staff and school administration moving around the school compound to try and determine the best location for a new rainwater catchment tank. This needed to be the best site with good, clean roofing to catch the rainwater.

Rainwater tank construction began with clearance of the site: excavating the soil within the required measurements to make level ground for the tank foundation. The foundation was cast by laying hardcore on a level ground and then reinforcing it using steel, concrete and waterproof cement.

As the foundation was being lain, both the drawing pipe as well as the washout pipe were affixed. The wall was built with ferro-cement techniques through six layers. The inner wall was plastered while rough casting was done on the outer part.

Men helping the artisan mix more cement for plastering the tank wall.

After the superstructure had been given enough time to settle, the dome construction followed. The manhole cover was fitted, inlet pipes were connected to the roof gutters, inlet screens, ventilation pipes (breathers) and overflow pipes were all done to standards.

Finally, the catchment area was dug, plastered, and a staircase installed. Drainage was set up there, and then the tank was allowed three to four weeks to undergo complete curing before it was cleaned and handed over to Lelmokwo Boys' Secondary School. It already has some water in it!

The only challenge in getting there was the sheer distance from our offices to the school. Lelmokwo is over 100 kilometers away an entirely different county. Uasin Gishu, the officer in charge of this project had to make several visits to the school to hold training and oversee construction work, which was very taxing in terms of resources; they sometimes had to lodge overnight in a nearby town called Eldoret. It took them three hours to get there on motorbike, which is a very tiring trip on Kenyan roads!

In a letter of appreciation to the organization, the school's principal said, "On behalf of the Board of Management, Parent Teacher Association, students and the entire Lelmokwo Boys High School community, I wish to register our appreciation to the company for the partnership we have had that saw the construction of student's pit latrines and water harvesting tank of capacity 50,000 liters and two hand-washing stations. The above three projects have helped improve sanitation in our school. The sensitization to the students and subsequent appointment of sanitation champions in our student will help boost the hygiene awareness. Once again we say thank you and we look forward to more partnerships in future."

October, 2017: Lelmokwo Boys' Secondary School Project Underway

Lelmokwo Boys' Secondary School in Kenya has begun building a new source of safe, clean water because of your generous donation. A rainwater catchment tank and new latrines are being constructed, hand-washing stations provided, and the school is being trained on proper sanitation and hygiene practices. Imagine the impact this will have on these students! Thank you for noticing the need here, and we’ll keep you posted as the work continues.