Rehabilitation Project
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 Community
This unprotected spring is located in Emasera Village, Murumba sub-location, Butsotso East location, Lurambi Sub-County of Kakamega County. It serves 25 households with a total population of 200 people, out of which 95 are male and 105 are female. The spring also serves 800 pupils from Emasera Community School that relies on this unprotected spring as their only source of water. (Editor’s Note: While this many people may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people. This site would make a great location for a second project. To learn more, click here.)
Most who live in Emasera Village are farmers who wake up very early to start working. They grow crops like maize, cassava, sweet potato, arrowroot, and bananas. After eating breakfast, the men either go to their own farms or someone else's to generate income. As the sun sets, the men return home to graze and water their own animals. While the men are doing all this, women start tackling the household chores. These include fetching water, washing utensils, sweeping, washing clothes, or gathering firewood. And those are only a few examples! If women finish their chores at a decent time, they will join the men on their farms. All the while, children have one of two places to be: either helping parents are studying at school!
Water Situation
The community uses the spring's water for household chores like cooking, drinking, washing, watering animals, and irrigation of their nearby vegetable gardens.
Unfortunately, Wetai Spring is located at the bottom of a slope. This makes it prone to contamination from surface runoff and soil erosion. Farming activities done near the spring also lead to contamination of the water as chemicals and loose soil from the farms end up in the water source making it unsuitable for human consumption. Students from the nearby school and community members further contaminate the water by stepping into it as they fetch. On the social side, there have been many conflicts arising between locals and students who fight about who has the right to draw water first.
Cases of waterborne and related diseases like typhoid, diarrhea, cholera, coughs, and malaria have been reported. "I am appealing to WEWASAFO and The Water Project to help us protect this spring because there are many cases of waterborne diseases reported in the area. My first wife Mikali Asiko is just an example: She has suffered from typhoid for a very long time. Typhoid and diarrhea has been the order of the day in my family, and this is very disappointing. I have lost more than 50,000 shillings while trying to treat these diseases," laments local father Henry Wesaya.
Sanitation Situation
Sanitation and hygiene is also a challenge to this community. Many community members lack latrines, and the few who have them have allowed deterioration into very poor and pathetic conditions. The young and the old, in most cases, opt to relieve themselves in the bush and behind the houses. They believe this to be much safer than stepping on old, rickety boards suspended over a dark and dirty pit!
While collecting the baseline information, it was observed that most of the community members do not have clotheslines and dish racks. Drying utensils and clothes on the ground can greatly increase disease transmission with a community. Just imagine the situation when no more than 50% of households have latrines, chickens and goats wander around, and dishes are on the ground. There's a connection between these things!
Project Plans
In order to increase access to safe drinking water in this community, Wetai Spring should be protected. Protection of this spring will save the community members and Emasera Community School pupils a lot of the time that is lost while queuing and waiting for dirty water to clear.
Sanitation and hygiene training will also be conducted so that locals can understand the importance of living in a healthy environment. When participants are sensitized to how some of their behaviors have resulted in ill health, they will be motivated to adopt new practices: build latrines, dish racks, and clothes; store water proper and treat it before drinking; manage and maintain Wetai Spring.
The community members have already agreed to attend this training for three days, and are willing to make a 20% contribution to take ownership of this initiative. By the end of the three days of hygiene and sanitation training, community members will also have voted on five households that should benefit from new latrines.
