May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Munyuni Community

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.

We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to rural communities like Munyuni, Kenya.

We trained community members on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19.

Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

We covered essential hygiene lessons:

- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station

- Proper handwashing technique

- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing

- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.

We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What social distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough into an elbow

- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

- How to make and properly wear a facemask.

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point,

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.

Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention.

You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.

November, 2019: Giving Update: Munyuni Community Sand Dam

A year ago, your generous donation helped Munyuni Community in Kenya access clean water.

There’s an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Munyuni. Month after month, their giving supports ongoing sustainability programs that help this community maintain access to safe, reliable water. Read more…

April, 2019: Munyuni Community Sand Dam Complete

Munyuni Community, Kenya now has a new source of water thanks to your donation. A sand dam was constructed on the riverbed, which will build up sand to raise the water table and naturally filter water. Community members also attended hygiene and sanitation training, and plan to share what they learned with their families and neighbors.

New Knowledge

Our training officer worked with the team to arrange for a three-day Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) training. This kind of training helps identify existing health issues and the bad practices causing them so that the community can brainstorm potential solutions. Once they agree, they're in a good place to draft an action plan to see these new practices adopted in each household.

The participation level of the community members was very high as they were very active throughout the training. There were many questions asked, which was a clear indication that the attendees were interested in the topics. Men were more active than women, and were always eager to volunteer for demonstrations. Additionally, they portrayed the zeal to learn as they kept requesting for an extension of the training.

There were several topics covered over the three days, not limited to:

- mapping the community

- calculating the cost of a good latrine vs. the cost of treating diseases that result from improper waste disposal
- how germs spread
- choosing the barriers
- action plan
- electing a sanitation committee
- how to make soap

A part of mapping the community was actually getting up from our seats and touring Munyuni. People identified the places where there's the most activity, along with areas where people are going to the bathroom. We stopped at these areas and discussed how open defecation is contaminating water sources, food, and many other things. This was a very impactful activity because everyone realized how their drinking water gets contaminated and why they're getting sick.

The group stopped during the community tour and talked about how easily water can get contaminated.

The following is 60-year-old Mary Samson's testimonial about what she learned:

This training has been very inspirational and growth-enhancing to us. We have learned a lot on hygiene and sanitation and we intend to adopt all the new ways taught. It's vital for every homestead to have a functional latrine, to protect our water sources, and caring for our health by treating water - this saves us the money that would be used on treatment.

The CLTS training has also enlightened us on effective ways of preventing the spread of diseases, thus reducing the death rates that are heightened by waterborne diseases. Poverty rates will also reduce as the money spent on treatment at hospitals will be channeled to other income-generating projects. It has been a very beneficial training and I am personally very grateful for it. I will construct a latrine in my compound but near the roadside so that passers-by can utilize it to avoid open defecation.

Mary Samson

The entire group was inspired by Mary's willingness to construct a public latrine by the road, and has vowed to support her as she does so.

Sand Dam

Construction for this huge sand dam was successful!

"We are very impressed that the water point has already harnessed gallons of fresh water which will be used by the community members. As of now, the group members are already planning to conduct farm projects which will help us reap maximum benefits... We would like to express immense gratitude towards the construction of the project in our community," said Mary Samson.

"The distance we covered initially has reduced tremendously and less time is expended on fetching water."

The Process:

The community members collected all of the local materials like rocks and sand that were required for successful completion of the dam. They also provided unskilled labor to support our artisans. The collection of raw construction materials takes longer than the actual construction. For a super large sand dam, materials collection could take up to four months.

While community members delivered and and stones to the construction site, we provided cement, lumber, metal, and tools.

Siting and technical designs were drawn and presented to the Water Resources Management Authority and a survey sent to the National Environment Management Authority for approval before construction started. Once approved, we established a firm bedrock at the base of the sand dam wall. In the absence of good bedrock, excavation is done up to a depth at which the technical team is satisfied that the ground is firm enough to stop seepage.

Then mortar (a mixture of sand, cement, and water) is mixed and heaped into the foundation. Rocks are heaped into the mortar once there is enough to hold. Barbed wire and twisted bar are used to reinforce the mixture. Once the foundation is complete, a skeleton of timber is built to hold the sludge and rocks up above ground level. The process is then repeated until a sufficient height, width and length are built up. The vertical timber beams are dismantled and the dam is left to cure.

As soon as it rains, the dam will begin to build up sand and store water. With this water, the surrounding landscape will become lush and fertile.

It could take up to three years of rain (because sometimes it only rains once a year!) for this sand dam to reach maximum capacity. It is 26.55 meters long and 6.20 meters high and took 870 bags of cement to build.

Sand dam construction was undertaken simultaneously with the construction of a hand-dug well that will give community members a safe method of drawing water. As the sand dam matures and stores more sand, a huge supply of water will be available for drinking from the adjacent hand-dug well.

Thank You for making all of this possible!

February, 2019: Munyuni Community Sand Dam Project Underway

A severe clean water shortage in Munyuni Community drains people’s time, energy, and health. People walk miles just to find water. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a water point nearby and much more.

Get to know this community through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!