June, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Wajumba Community, Wajumba 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.

A community member shows the COVID-19 informational pamphlet she received at 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 Wajumba, Kenya.

We trained more than 21 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.

Training in session

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.

Handwashing

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.

Handwashing

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.

Prevention reminders chart installed at the 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.

Handwashing

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.

Observing social distancing

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.

July, 2019: Wajumba Community, Wajumba Spring Project Complete

Wajumba Community now has clean water! Wajumba Spring has been transformed into a flowing source of clean 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.

Spring Protection

Water is now flowing from the discharge pipe at Wajumba Spring, giving community members a quick and easy way to fetch water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.

We met community members at the spring to celebrate the transformation.

"This water point is the best I have ever seen! I am happy that this spring is protected now when I am still alive to at least have a test of safe, clean water. My heart is full of joy to see such a project being completed peacefully within a very short period of time using materials around us. May God bless all the donors for the support they gave us by considering our suffering as a community through protection of our spring," said Mr. Misigo.

The people living here see the protection of Wajumba Spring as salvation for their years of overlooked suffering. Political leaders have focused their improvement efforts only in areas perceived to be their strongholds, leaving the majority of the population in dire need.

Indeed, from the faces of the old, middle-aged, and the young, you can now see a glow of relief as though a burden was taken off their shoulders. People used to have to wait a long time for their turn to fetch water from the spring when it was an open source. The water would get dirtier the more people dunked their containers under the surface. Now that the spring is protected, community members can now fetch water from this new source with a lot of confidence within a very short time. They are so grateful that someone finally came along to help them achieve this important step in the development of Wajumba Village.

The construction process went on well with both our artisan and volunteers from the community working together harmoniously till completion of the spring. Women helped a lot in ferrying the supplementary materials to the site, while men assisted in doing the labor.

The Process

The construction process at Wajumba Spring began with clearing the site using jembes, hoes, spades, and hammers to remove stones and clay. Once clear and level, our artisan could form the base for the slab.

Excavating for the foundational slab

A thick plastic tarp was laid out, followed by wire mesh and a mixture of sand, ballast, cement, and water was mixed to make a stable foundation. This was left to dry for 12 hours. Brickwork then followed where the walls and the staircases were done, also using sand, cement, and waterproof cement.

The discharge pipe was then fitted at the headwall 20 inches high so that community members can place a jerrycan underneath. Plastering was then done and the tiles are fitted just under the discharge pipe so the slab won't be damaged by the falling water.

The spring was cured for 48 hours as backfilling was done using hardcore and and plastic over the top.

Soil was piled over the protected area and the community planted grass to prevent erosion. The spring was then left to dry for five days before the community was allowed to start using the water point at their convenience.

Through the formation of a water user management committee over the course of this project, rules and regulations they set with the community will greatly help in resolving issues and sustaining the spring. Furthermore, the community members were strongly urged to always contact the organization for any advice.

Sanitation Platforms

All five sanitation platforms have been installed. These five families are happy about this milestone of having a private latrine of their own and are optimistic that people will no longer have to use the bathroom outdoors. We are continuing to encourage families to finish building walls and roofs over their new latrine floors.

New Knowledge

Hygiene and sanitation training was planned and organized by both the field officer and one of the community members by the name Nelly Muyonga. Nelly was given the mandate by the other community members to lead the process of project implementation. She reached out to neighbors and urged them to attend the training despite their tight schedules planting, weeding, and harvesting crops. Men and women of different ages were invited to ensure that there is equal sharing of information and distribution of responsibilities.

It was a hot afternoon with a clear sky, providing a good atmosphere for participants to sit on the ground near the spring. The training was done near the spring site because it was a very good venue central to all the community members.

We covered several topics including leadership and governance; operation and maintenance of the spring; healthcare; family planning; immunizations; the spread of disease and prevention. We also covered water treatment methods, personal care like handwashing, environmental hygiene, hygiene promotion, and many other things.

The facilitator explained the need to properly manage and sustain the spring. They were informed that care-taking duties be done diligently, such as clearing brush along the path to the spring and cleaning up litter. Other highlighted activities were fencing of the spring, making cutoff drainage, proper use of the stairs, and planting of grass to control soil erosion.

The fence was primarily built to keep out animals or children that could trample the protected area and damage the water point

There was a heated discussion as community members voiced their opinions, though. At some point, two participants argued sharply on the issue of not allowing cattle to graze near the spring. One of the participants ended up having to leave the group for a while to allow their temper to cool down. That person who got very angry had been bringing their animals to graze by Wajumba Spring and was told point blank by another participant that what they are doing endangers the community's water supply.

Aspects of water safety were also discussed at large by pointing out the bad ways of handling water from the spring on the way home, at home, and all the way until consumption.

Due to exchange of ideas, they all agreed that to eradicate all water-related diseases, water safety is the first tool to be employed. They want to boil the water, use solar disinfection, and other approved chemicals such as water guard and chlorine.

"This training has covered everything that our community members should listen to. From today, we are going to put into practice whatever we have been taught, especially proper water handling to avoid contamination," said Mrs. Nancy Salano.

June, 2019: Wajumba Community, Wajumba Spring Project Underway

Dirty water from Wajumba Spring is making people in Wajumba Community sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to solve this issue by building a clean water point and much more.

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