December, 2018: A Year Later: Ebusiratsi Special Primary School

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to construct a rainwater tank for Ebusiratsi Special Primary 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...

August, 2018: Ebusiratsi Special Primary School Project Complete

Ebusiratsi Special Primary 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!

We have made improvements to our system to ensure that you always hear about your project as soon as possible, for a lot of good has happened since construction was completed in February. Our team has been back to monitor the tank, with our last visit being in June:

Stepping back and letting the tank fill a jerrycan during our June 24, 2018 monitoring visit.

Project Result: New Knowledge

With the help of the headmistress, we managed to get all the teachers, parents and some of the children to attend hygiene and sanitation training. This was possible since they had already been asked to come and pick up their children for holidays - so we used that chance to educate as many people as possible.

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

The new hand-washing stations were delivered in time for training.

Demonstrations were used for hand-washing, tooth-brushing, solar disinfection, and many other topics. Demonstrations were the most effective for these students, who understand when they see something done but not when it's lectured about. 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.

Two of the children attending this school continued boarding throughout the holidays, and school staff reports that they've practiced some of the new things they learned. They're bathing daily, and they hang their uniforms on the clothesline to dry.

Teacher Esther Bokello said, "We have really benefited from this training, and as you can see we have put all that we were taught into practice. The water tank has really been a blessing for we can now do a lot of things with it. To our believed parents, your active participation in various project phases has not only given these learners a complete sense of ownership, but has also demonstrated the great love you have for our school."

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 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.

The first challenge was the weather, with it raining entire days at a time. Artisans could do nothing but sleep and hope the next day brought clearer weather. Then after the holiday started, the artisans couldn't easily get the water they needed for mixing cement. The two students who stayed behind were integral in joining the school support staff to fetch water from the spring. These two young men have a reason to be proud of this new rainwater catchment tank:

The tank was given three to four weeks to undergo complete curing before it was cleaned and handed over to Ebusiratsi Special Primary School. It quickly filled with clean, safe water over the end of the holiday; a wonderful surprise to the 134 students who returned from vacation in January.

Pauline Ongalo is a mother of one of these students. She said, "...this project, it seems like a dream come true because we could never have raised such a project on our own. For the good work you have done to us, may our good Lord bless you all and those that you work with. When we received the call to support the project in getting the local resources, we did it without hesitation. We could not compare the cost of the items to the invaluable benefits our children will gain from the new, safe water source."

December, 2017: Ebusiratsi Special Primary School Project Underway

Ebusiratsi Special Primary 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.

Thank You for your care and generosity that unlocks potential at Ebusiratsi Special Primary School!