Project Status



Project Type:  Protected Spring

Program: Kenyan Spring Protection

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - May 2014

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 09/17/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is being implemented by our partner Western Water And Sanitation Forum, and includes the construction of a spring protection system.

This unprotected spring is located in Bweseletse village, Lubao sub location, Kambiri location in Shinyalu constituency. The spring is serving a total number of 505 people from 57 households of which 145 are male, 152 female, 190 children and 18 disabled.

Justification

Due to the great number of people drawing water from the spring for domestic use, the water is usually contaminated due to poor handling. This also in the process wastes a lot of time for the women and children while waiting for it to clear before fetching again. This wasted time would otherwise be used for other economical activities.

Conflict usually arise during this period of waiting for the water to be clear and fights amongst the women and their children in terms of first come first served frequently arises around the spring. This eventually creates room for gossips among women and children.

When it rains the water is normally contaminated because it’s unprotected hence resulting to out breaks of water borne diseases. As reported by the community, the mostly affected are children and women who suffered mostly from typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery and amoeba.

The community spends a lot of money treating the water borne diseases that they would otherwise spent for other economical activities. One of the community members Alice stated she used up to Ksh 7,000 in treating typhoid in her family. This money she stated could have enabled her pay school fees for here children or boost her poultry and vegetable business. This is one of the factors that contribute to poverty in the region.

On the other hand, due to lack of awareness on catchment area conservation, the landowner practices farming close to the water catchment.  This contributes to polluting the Water by farm chemicals used and silting.

The community also brings their domestic animals for watering at the spring. The surrounding tree coverage is mostly blue gum trees that are planted close to the water catchment areas thus depleting the water quantity.

Generally we have observed that due to lack of good hygiene practices disease out breaks are recurrent in the community as most people do not wash their hands during critical times.

WEWASAFO plans on conducting various trainings that will mitigate the issues previously mentioned above and educate the community on improved farming practices so there will be no further polluting of the water source, as well as planting the appropriate trees that are more conducive to the surround environment. In addition, WEWASAFO will also conduct a hygiene and sanitation training that will focus on behavior changes and improved hygiene and sanitation practices (such as hand washing and eliminating open defecation) amongst community members by using CHAST, PHAST and CLTS methodologies.

The PRA Team in Shinyalu Constituency ranked this spring among those under high priority for protection.

Considering the above situation, WEWASAFO has recommended the spring for protection so that the community can be relieved of its plight.

Project Updates


July, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Bweseletse Community, Bweseletse 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.

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 Bweseletse, Kenya.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.




Project Photos


Project Type

Springs are water sources that come from deep underground, where the water is filtered through natural layers until it is clean enough to drink. Once the water pushes through the surface of the Earth, however, outside elements like waste and runoff can contaminate the water quickly. We protect spring sources from contamination with a simple waterproof cement structure surrounding layers of clay, stone, and soil. This construction channels the spring’s water through a discharge pipe, making water collection easier, faster, and cleaner. Each spring protection also includes a chlorine dispenser at the waterpoint so community members can be assured that the water they are drinking is entirely safe. Learn more here!


Sanitation Saved My Husband

March, 2015

“I thank The Water Project and WEWASAFO for saving my husband from death.”

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Bweseletse Community, Bweseletse Spring.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Bweseletse Community, Bweseletse Spring 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!

Joram Kisanji, a 91 year old man, is one of the sanitation platform (sanplat) beneficiaries under the Water and Sanitation (WASH) project implemented by WEWASAFO and funded by The Water Project.

He is married to Mary Kisanji. They have been blessed with 3 children (1 boy and 2 girls), 7 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. They live in Lubao village, within Kakamega County.

WEWASAFO has been protecting springs in the communities within Kakamega County. For every spring protected, five people in the surrounding community of the spring that are vulnerable, such as orphans, elderly, widows, people with HIV/AIDS and people living with disabilities, are given priority to benefit from the project by receiving a sanplat. Joram Kisanji was selected as one of the sanitation beneficiaries for the Bweseleste Spring as he and his wife are not only elderly but also he is blind.

"I thank The Water Project and WEWASAFO for saving my husband from death. One day when he had gone to help himself in the old latrine, it almost collapsed on him." remarked Mary Kisanji the wife of Joram Kisanji. Since the husband was blind, he couldn’t find his way around when the wife was not there and one day he felt pressed to go to the toilet. Since his wife was away, he decided to try going to the toilet on his own. He accidentally fell into the deep latrine pit, as he could not position himself on the logs properly. When his wife came back in the evening she looked for him and could not find him and when she went to relieve herself in the toilet she found that he had fallen in the toilet.

As we were invited into Joram’s home, he shared with us a brief history of his long life. He worked in the Army as a Corporal for 4 years and 9 months during World War I in Arabia. The effect of tear gas and gunshots affected his eyes. He suffered partial blindness in year 1999 and in the year 2000 he suffered total blindness. He also worked as a cook for a British colonialist between 1933 and 1980. This was evident with the fluent English he spoke.

"Without Mary I would have died in that old toilet one day. Thanks to her for saving my life and thanks to you for the good toilet that you have built for me. Now I can access it without worry." He was coughing frequently during our time with him and we soon learned that he had a large painful swelling on his back that caused him difficulties in breathing and a lot of coughing. WEWASAFO recorded this information and will notify the social services department of WEWASAFO so that they might assist him in finding help for his unidentified illness.

As he bid fare well to us, on a lighter note he joked by saying, "Next time when you come, kindly bring me a gift of shoes or clothes, and God bless you all as you undertake the community work."


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 Bweseletse Community, Bweseletse Spring 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 Bweseletse Community, Bweseletse Spring – 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

St. Therese Foundation