Mungakha Community

In Mungakha Community, dirty water is used for drinking, cooking, and cleaning. Asena Spring, where the 280 people in this community collect water, is an open water source that is subjected to all sorts of contamination.

After drinking this water, it's common for someone to fall ill. Unfortunately, most people don't have the resources to afford the treatment they need to recover safely and quickly. Community members tried to alleviate the problem and fixed a plastic pipe to help them draw water into their containers. But that has not been enough.

"This water has continued being bad for us because nowadays everybody has typhoid and amoeba infection because of using the water here," said Mrs. Josephine Asena.

To make matters worse, the area around the spring is rocky, and people have to be very careful when they draw water to avoid falling.

Mungakha Village is in a rural area dotted with mud houses. It is quiet as people go about their daily chores and farming. The place is very green and lush, and we noticed many people planting and weeding during our first visit.

It's a unique area because the village elder, Mr. Asena, has a large family that owns a lot of land. They've built separate mud homes for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other family members. They have a huge farm that they work on together.

The most common crop was sugarcane, but the nearest sugar millers, Mumias Sugar Factory, has gone under. That has forced most of the Mungakha farmers to plant either maize or beans. Women keep vegetable gardens outside their homes, which they harvest mainly to feed the family. There are some other jobs besides farming; young men drive motorbikes around to taxi customers, but they're renting these motorbikes and thus the income is very low.

Mrs. Josephine Asena told us that she wakes up at 6am every morning to prepare breakfast. She is 60 years old and aged, so she does not have children to prepare for school. She then sweeps her compound and departs to her farm. She comes back around midday to get lunch. She rests a bit and starts to gather the things she needs for supper, like vegetables and flour from the posho mill. She also looks for firewood when she runs out. She prepares dinner at 8pm and sleeps around 10pm. This is similar to all community members apart from a few changes for the homes that have school-going children.

What we can do:

Spring Protection

Asena Spring is located at the bottom of a slope, which allows a lot of dirt into the water. During the rainy season, human activity, animal activity, and fertilizers from the farms nearby are deposited into the spring, making the water unsafe for human consumption. The area around the spring is slippery and it needs good stairs for safe access.

A spring protection will address all of this. Construction will protect the source from contamination. Community members will be able to descend cement stairs and place their container under a discharge to easily fetch good water.

Sanitation Platforms

Most households have a pit latrine. However, these latrines are made out of mud, which is very hard to clean. The mud gets slippery and dangerous when it rains, so people often prefer going in the bushes.

Community members will vote on five families who are in the greatest need of new cement latrine floors. As the artisans construct these, the rest of the community will be trained on ways they can make their own latrines safer.

Training

Most of the community members have clotheslines, dish racks, and latrines. However, they don't observe handwashing as important. They store their water but they don't clean the containers.

Community members will attend hygiene and sanitation training for at least two days. This training will ensure participants have the knowledge they need about healthy practices and their importance. The facilitator plans to use PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation), CLTS (Community-Led Total Sanitation), ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development), group discussions, handouts, and demonstrations at the spring. One of the most important topics we plan to cover is the handling, storage, and treatment of water. Having a clean water source will be extremely helpful, but it is useless if water gets contaminated by the time it’s consumed.

Training will also result in the formation of a committee that will oversee operations and maintenance at the spring. They will enforce proper behavior around the spring and delegate tasks that will help preserve the site, such as building a fence and digging proper drainage. The fence will keep out destructive animals, and the drainage will keep the area’s mosquito population low.

Project Updates

July, 2020: Through Their Eyes: COVID-19 Chronicles with Philip Omukiti

This post is part of a new series by The Water Project meant to highlight the perspectives and experiences of the people we serve and how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting them. We invite you to read more of their stories here.

"Staying indoors is not my thing...It seems I have a lot of time on my hands," said 31-year-old teacher Philip Omukiti plainly.

After several months of lockdowns, restrictions, curfews, and stress in his hometown of Mungakha, Kenya, it is easy to find empathy in Philip's statement as so many people around the world are facing similar challenges.

Philip Omukiti stands outside his home in Mungakha, Kenya.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed or brought to a halt many familiar routines, not least of which is sending children to school. In Kenya, all primary and secondary schools have been closed since March, and they do not plan to reopen until at least January 2021.

Not all schools and homes in Kenya have the resources or ability to move classes online. Consequently, for many pupils and teachers alike, this pandemic period has been one of frustration and stagnation. Philip, who ordinarily works as a teacher, knows this story well.

Philip is a member of the water user committee for Asena Spring, which he depends on for all of his daily water needs. Our team recently visited Mungakha to conduct a COVID-19 prevention training (read more about it below!) and monitor their water point. Shortly after, we returned to check in on the community, offer a COVID-19 refresher training, and ask how the pandemic is affecting their lives.

Philip (left) observes social distancing while attending a COVID-19 sensitization training in June.

It was during this most recent visit that Philip shared his story of how the coronavirus has impacted his life both personally and professionally.

Team member David Muthama met Philip outside his home to conduct the interview. Both David and Philip observed social distancing and other precautions throughout the visit to ensure their health and safety. Their questions and answers have been edited for clarity and length.

Philip stands at the entry to his homestead to greet David.

What is one thing that has changed in your community since the protection of Asena Spring?

"I am confident that I am taking safe, clean water unlike before when the spring was wide open, exposed to frogs and tadpoles. I am confident and happy I have a source of clean water I can depend on."

How has having a clean water point helped you through the pandemic so far?

"There is plenty of clean water, and now I am able to wash hands, wash utensils, and even sanitize my furniture and other touchable items I use every day, including - most importantly - our clothes."

Philip fetches water at Asena Spring.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Kenya, has fetching water changed for you because of restrictions, new rules, or your concerns about the virus?

"I am a trained teacher by profession, and I would wake up and go to work, not having anything to do with water at the spring. But since the pandemic, schools closed, and I have been going to the spring to fetch water or do some cleaning. After the training by your team, I have observed that people are washing hands at the water point and doing social distancing, which I also do."

Philip washes his hands with soap and water from Asena Spring using a leaky tin handwashing station he set up at home.

How has COVID-19 impacted your family?

"Staying indoors is not my thing. I can't go to work, there is no socialization, and people are not interacting as before. As my profession - I am a teacher - suggests, I am a guy who loves the social set-up. And for the children, life has become unbearable since they are used to school life."

"On the positive side, the pandemic has helped us as a family as most of us are now back at home since there are no jobs. Some of us had not met for a long time, but with the lockdown, we've had time to socialize and catch up on life."

Philip sits with some of his nieces and nephews who are home from school due to the pandemic.

What other challenges are you experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

"Traveling has become a challenge as well as having an insufficient food supply. Getting money has become a challenge since jobs like coaching are no longer available, which has brought a lot of idleness and wastage of time."

"I miss my teaching job, I miss the school, and I miss the students. It seems I have a lot of time on my hands."

Philip spends some of his extra time keeping a close eye on would-be weeds in his vegetable garden near the spring.

What hygiene and sanitation steps have you and your community taken to stop the spread of the virus?

"We are adhering to social distancing, handwashing with soap for at least 20 seconds, wearing masks anytime we leave the home, and strictly avoiding public areas such as political forums and other gatherings like funerals."

Philip shows his mask.

Have any COVID-19-related restrictions been lifted since they began in Kenya?

"Yes."

What restriction were you most excited to see lifted already?

"Opening of the partial lockdown of counties and the extension of curfew hours."

What restriction are you still looking forward to being lifted?

"Meetings, because I can't send off our beloved ones in burials. And because for church, certain age groups have been barred from going, and these age groups are usually the most active in church activities."

Philip brought all of his nieces and nephews along to the spring to help fetch water for their families.

When asked where he receives information about COVID-19, Philip listed the radio, television, newspaper, loudspeaker/megaphone announcements, word of mouth, and our team's sensitization training.

Philip in his face mask.

What has been the most valuable part of the COVID-19 sensitization training you received from our team?

"The (aforementioned preventative) measures in place and the steps you showed our illiterate members like the old men and women in our community. This included awareness of how the disease spreads and helping the elders understand what coronavirus is using their mother tongue."

May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Mungakha Community, Asena 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.

Facilitators (in masks) lead training

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 Mungakha, Kenya.

Community members observe social distancing as a requirement of attending training

We trained more than 15 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.

Team Leader Emmah leads a 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.

Trainer Lynnah demonstrates handwashing at the new leaky tin

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.

Trainers demonstrate how to maintain social distancing while waiting to fetch water at the spring

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

A community member washes her hands

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.

A young girl washes her hands

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: Mungakha Community, Asena Spring

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

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

January, 2019: Mungakha Community, Asena Spring Project Complete

Mungakha Community is celebrating their new protected spring, so celebrate with them! Asena Spring has been transformed into a flowing source of water thanks to your donation. The spring is protected from contamination, five sanitation platforms have been provided for the community, and training has been done on sanitation and hygiene.

New Knowledge

After completion of the spring protection, we communicated with our contact person and identified the day and time for hygiene and sanitation training sessions. Attendance was great and everyone was eager to learn. Since the training took place during school holidays we even had children at the training, giving us a total number of 24 participants.

It was a sunny day so the training was conducted just near Asena Spring under a tree with nice shade, with a good breeze and quiet surroundings. All the participants were very interested in training, asking questions and also answering questions whenever they were asked.

Several topics were covered during the training, such as personal and environmental hygiene; common local diseases and their prevention; care of the water point. The ten steps of handwashing were demonstrated, along with demonstrations for dental hygiene and water treatment.

''We have been taking water without precautions, but through this training, it will help us improve on our sanitation and hygiene. Also, you have helped us through training on what we can do to improve on our living," said Philip.

Sanitation Platforms

All five sanitation platforms have been installed and make wonderful, easy to clean latrine floors. These five families are happy about this milestone of having a latrine of their own. We are continuing to encourage families to finish building walls and roofs over their new latrine floors.