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).

Background Information

This unprotected spring is located in Emmumbia Village, Ebutanyi sub-location, Emasaba location, Mwibona ward, Luanda sub-county of Vihiga County. The spring serves 50 households, giving this area a total population of 350 people out of which 150 are men and 200 are women.

The people of Emmumbia Community practice small-scale farming mainly for sustenance. A normal day here involves women waking up early to fetch water for household use, while the men go to work the farm where the women join them after their housecleaning is finished. The afternoon hours are either spent at home or handling small businesses to raise income for the family.

The Current Source

The water from this unprotected spring is used for drinking, cooking, watering animals, and irrigation on farms, especially during the dry season.

Water is collected with small plastic jugs that are transferred into jerrycans or buckets. The jerrycans have covers, but the buckets rarely have them. Once home, water is transferred again to large drums or pots. All containers are cleaned thoroughly using sand and water. Some community members boil this spring's water before drinking, but unfortunately the treatment is not enough to make it fit for consumption. Community members report that they suffer from many cases of waterborne complications like typhoid and stomachaches as a result of drinking water from this unprotected spring. It is open to contamination from surface runoff and by people stepping into the water as they fetch and animals that do so to drink. The alternative water source is a running stream that is very dangerous for children when full.

Sanitation Situation

Sanitation is also a huge issue for this community. The majority, at least 75% of households, do not have even the most basic pit latrine. Open defecation is clearly an issue, causing both contamination of the spring and the greater environment. This waste is often transferred, since less than 25% of households have any form of hand-washing station. In fact, any type of sanitation facility is rare in this area. There are few bathing rooms and very few tools such as dish racks and clotheslines. People instead resort to airing out utensils and clothes on the ground, which even further heightens the transmission of germs.

Poor hygiene and the lack of safe drinking water in this area is life-threatening. For that reason, these people are in dire need of clean water to curb waterborne and hygiene-related diseases. To do so would not only save their health, but also their money that is currently spent on treating these maladies. Locals also require training on good sanitation practices in order to improve the environment in which they live. Furthermore, they are ready and willing to provide the necessary local materials for construction and also to provide food and accommodations for artisans during this construction.

Protecting Staus Amayuka Spring will save community members a lot of time that is now wasted fetching clean water. Additionally, these people feel that after the spring is protected, the community is given good health education, and a committee is elected to ensure cleanliness is maintained, children will no longer suffer from waterborne diseases. Without these diseases, children will stay in school all the time, thereby improving their academic performance.

Project Results

Training

The training was conducted in one the homestead of Emilly Okonda, one of the participants in the training. The area village elder help in mobilizing the community members for the Community Health Worker and Water and Sanitation Management Committee trainings. This was done with attention to gender balance so as to enable every gender to be represented.

The training was attended by 10 community members of which 3 were men and 7 women. The members present were able to put forward issues ranging from previous problems they faced concerning the spring to hygiene in their community. All these were a clear indication that they were actively participating.

Topics covered in the training session include:

• Wash objectives
• Roles of community in projects
• Community contribution
• Leadership and governance
• Roles and responsibilities of management committee
• Water pollution and water related diseases
• Funds collection and record keeping
• Primary health care
• Common local diseases and their prevention
• Sanitation facilities for hygiene promotion
• Water handling and food hygiene
• Environmental health
• Handwashing steps
• Roles of hygiene promoters

Methods used for training include demonstrations, a transect walk to investigate open defecation in the community, presentations, and a question and answer session.

The community members can now educate others on proper hygiene practices and washing their hands at critical times using an improvised hand washing facility. The immediate effect of the training was evident in the increased number of community members putting up latrines and having their compounds free from bushes, and proper use of mosquito nets rather than using them to fence their vegetable gardens. This is due to Community Health Workers group efforts.

''I am pleased today to attend this precious training about water and hygiene which I personally have never had such an opportunity in my life,'' said Christine Olume, a 74-year-old participant in the training sessions.

Spring Protection

Protecting the spring involves building a concrete structure around the water point to shield it from contamination. Spring protection process involves:

• Site clearance and foundation excavation to the
• specified standards
• Excavation of the land up slope from the spring discharge until three feet of water is flowing
• Hard core packing, reinforcements and casting of the foundation slab for spring construction of the head wall and wing walls
• Fittings (delivery pipes, inlets, draw off pipe and overflow, inlet screen)
• Back filling of the spring source
• Installing a pipe low in the collecting wall to direct the water from the interception reservoir to a concrete or plastic spring box
• Landscaping the area around the spring for protection and drainage
• Fencing of the catchment area
• Removing potential sources of contamination and diverting surface water away from the spring box or collection area by making drain cut off

The local community participated in the project by provision of locally available materials such as bricks, sand, hardcore, ballast, unskilled laborers, poles for fencing, as well as meals and accommodation for the skilled artisans.

Moses Obillo, one of the village elders, expressed his thanks for this project. ''Am quite joyous for this gift from TWP and WEWASAFO because for a very long time, we as the people of Emmumbia village have been consuming contaminated water but from now onwards, we shall be enjoying safe clean water from this protected spring. May God bless you all.''

This spring protection project was particularly difficult. Shortly after the construction was initially completed, a strong rainstorm washed away one of the wing walls and the access stairs.  The damage has been repaired and the design slightly changed to avoid another instance of this in the future. The initial work, damage, and repairs can be seen in the pictures below.

Sanitation Platforms

Sanplats are concrete slabs used as stable floors for latrines. Making latrines safe, comfortable, and easy to clean is an important step toward helping a community become open defecation free. Five sanplats were provided for families in this community. See the pictures below for sanplats installed in the community.

With clean water and improved sanitation and hygiene comes unlocked potential! Thank You to all who made this project possible!

Project Updates

May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Emmumbia Community, Staus Amayuka Spring

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.

"When in doubt, throw your arms out!" for social distancing

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 Emmumbia, Kenya.

The Community Health Volunteer (left) speaks at training

We trained more than 28 people 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.

Handwashing demonstration

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.

Community Health Volunteer shows the informational pamphlet shared at training

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.

Trainer demonstrates how to cough and sneeze into the elbow

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point, along with a sign with reminders of what we covered.

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.

Girls help old prevention reminders chart while trainer reviews it

We continue to stay in touch with this community as the pandemic progresses. We want to ensure their water point remains functional and their community stays informed about the virus.

Question and answer session

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.

December, 2017: A Year Later: Staus Amayuka Spring

A year ago, generous donors helped build a protected spring for the Emmumbia Community in Western Kenya. Because of these gifts and the contributions of our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one from our partner, Wilson Kipchoge, with you.