Project Status



Project Type:  Rainwater Catchment

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 247 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Feb 2018

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/06/2024

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

Shiyabo Secondary used to share classrooms with the primary section, but they were recently asked to build their own classrooms. The facilities were being severely strained, and the administration couldn't afford to sacrifice any longer. The secondary section has since been able to utilize the other side of the property to build a couple of their own classrooms - but they're grateful that the students are also OK with having class outside under the trees. The poverty index in this community is very high, which makes it difficult for this recently displaced school to find support.

Students report to school at 6am, and head to their classrooms for morning study hall until 7am. Before regular classes, they do cleaning chores around campus for 30 minutes, and then 30 minutes of assembly time. Eight lessons are taught between 8am and 5pm, after which students are required to stay for clubs and extracurricular activities until 6. Some other students even stay until 7 for extra help.

Water Situation

The secondary section shares water with the primary section, too. The primary school has a borehole that was drilled by another organization many years ago. This borehole is also open to community members. Between a community population of 336, a primary student enrollment of 745, and 225 secondary students, there are well over 1,000 people trying to use this one pump. It's grossly overused, and there's always a large number of people unable to draw water on any given day.

The organization that installed the pump did not pay special attention to the quality of their materials, which are now rusting and contaminating the water.

The secondary students must now walk to the other side of the property to get water from the borehole. It was actually the primary school's headmaster who contacted us and asked us for help. Not only is her well overcrowded, but she felt bad for the older students who had to begin walking with heavy containers on a daily basis.

Sanitation Situation

The secondary school has two of their own classrooms, but they're still sharing pit latrines with the primary section. There are only four of these! They are overcrowded, filthy, and full of flies. There are no hand-washing stations at either section.

"This school was started with no apparent plan for future growth and expansion. The main aim was to have an accessible local school for the children of this community. This resulted to the two schools sharing the available resources. With the long queues being witnessed around sanitation facilities during breaks, one can easily guess the condition. It is pathetic, hygiene measures are hardly maintained, and the students are therefore exposed to water bone diseases," Teacher Joyce Chesoli told us.

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 set aside for each gender. And with a new source of water on school grounds, students and staff should have enough to keep these new latrines clean.

Plans: Rainwater Catchment Tank

A 50,000-liter rainwater catchment tank will help alleviate the water crisis at this school. The school will also help gather the needed materials such as sand, rocks, and water from the spring for mixing cement. Once finished, this tank can begin catching rainfall that will be used by the school’s students and staff. The secondary school will no longer have to struggle against hundred of primary students and community members for their fair share of water. In fact, there might even be times when the primary students need to borrow water from the secondary section!

We and the school strongly believe that with this assistance, standards will significantly improve – and these higher standards will translate to better academic performance for students attending Shiyabo Secondary School.

Project Updates


December, 2018: A Year Later: Shiyabo Secondary School

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to construct a rainwater tank for Shiyabo Secondary School in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local 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...




February, 2018: Shiyabo Secondary School Project Complete

Shiyabo 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 students!

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.

Project Result: New Knowledge

We started planning for hygiene and sanitation training after we verified that the school was prepared for a construction project. We worked with the principal, who then happily recruited students and teachers to attend. Sessions were held in one of the school classrooms, with participants excited to learn new things.

We taught that hygiene entails personal hygiene, water hygiene, and environmental hygiene. Attention needs to be given to each facet of hygiene to enjoy a healthy life.

An entire lesson was 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

– Cleaning self and clean environment

– 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.

Teacher Kipchoge said, "Water has been a big challenge in our school since we left the primary section which we were sharing before we constructed ours. The students have been wasting most of their time looking for water to use in school."

Teacher Kipchoge

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’ and girls’ 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.

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 and women even helped our artisans with their manual labor. The school was prepared and worked well with our artisans.

The construction 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. The catchment area was dug, plastered, and a staircase installed.

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.

Drainage was set up, and then the tank was given three to four weeks to undergo complete curing before it was cleaned and handed over to Shiyabo Secondary School. It already has some water in it!




December, 2017: Shiyabo Secondary School Project Underway

Shiyabo Secondary School will soon have an adequate source of water thanks to 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. But for now, check out the pictures, information, and maps of this school that we’ve added to this project page.

Thank You for partnering with us to unlock these students’ potential.




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: Shiyabo Secondary School

December, 2018

The project is helping the school stand on its own. It no longer has to share facilities and classrooms with the primary school, said Principal Joyce Kisali.

Keeping The Water Promise

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

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Shiyabo Secondary 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, your generous donation enabled us to construct a rainwater tank for Shiyabo Secondary School in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local 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 local team member Jonathan Mutai with you.


One year later, Shiyabo Secondary School students and staff can still access safe, clean water at all times. The administration says the number of reported cases of waterborne diseases has drastically decreased due to the project at the school.

"I lack the words to express my happiness for the project you constructed for us," said Principal Joyce Kisali during our recent visit.

Joshua Wambire with Principal Joyce Kisali

The project is helping the school stand on its own. It no longer has to share facilities and classrooms with the primary school - all thanks to the project, Ms. Kisali told us.

"Now, safe and clean water is at our doorstep!" she exclaimed.

Water from the tank is not only used for drinking but also for different chores within the school. The tank greatly assisted the school during construction of a new classroom recently.

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 project in Shiyabo Secondary School is changing many lives.

"We are very happy with the project you constructed in our school," said student Joshua Wambire.

Joshua Wambire and one of his classmates at the tank

"We used to share pit latrines with the primary school, but now we have our own. We also practice handwashing after visiting the latrine - something we didn't do before because there were no handwashing stations."

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 Shiyabo Secondary 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 Shiyabo Secondary 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 - The Jeong Family
Ehlers Russell Impact
Ward Family
Natalia and Abby (JMS)'s Campaign for Water

And 1 other fundraising page(s)
4 individual donor(s)