The Water Project’s WaSH program in Western Kenya aims to access, protect, filter, and purify the abundant waters that are available through two seasonal rains, prevalent springs, high water tables, and deep aquifers in the region. Explore water projects in communities, schools, and churches in Western Kenya such as protected springs, rainwater catchment systems, and water wells. This program emphasizes the power of strategic geographical saturation of projects, effective hygiene and sanitation training, and relational networking between NGOs, health workers, local politicians, and educators.
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!
Rehabilitation Project
Rehabilitation is not just fixing a pump - it’s total community re-engagement.
There’s only one thing we can think of that might be worse than not having safe water: having safe water, and then losing it because a project fell into disrepair.
Rehabilitation often proves to be a big challenge, as many wells have sit idle for years and there is typically little information about the specifics of the well. A borehole and dug well rehabilitation involves quite a bit of discovery. First, our teams work to discover as much as they can about the initial project. What materials were used? Was the borehole/hand-dug well properly constructed? Many of these questions can only be answered by diving in, and doing “the work” which makes up a rehabilitation.
Once our teams have found the problem, they find the solution. Then, they reconstruct the well and install a hand pump.
Engagement and training with communities takes into account rehabilitation was needed and alters the program to suit the needs of the community. After all - engaging with this community in the same way which led to the initial, failed project will not bring new results. Our teams work to understand the social and support reasons leading to initial failure, and make those areas a focus of our ongoing engagement with communities.
Local Leadership
Water projects don’t last long without the help of local leaders. They’re the ones who explain the situation on the ground to us (and our donors!) while also outlining our goals and intentions for the community members.
The Water Project identifies, supports, and partners with local organizations that share our vision of reliable, verifiable, and clean water. Together, we build lasting local solutions and undertake ongoing monitoring and resolution to ensure our solutions are still working years into the future.
Community Engagement
We engage the communities we work with at every step of a water project.
These interactions are rooted in relationship-building. We involve the community in implementation, set expectations for water point management, prepare community members for ongoing costs, and more. All of this happens before a water project is installed.
The people receiving a water project get a leading seat at the table. Every water project we implement requires negotiations with several interested parties. During this step and every other, we continuously try to embody our favorite ideals: reliability, relationship, and trust.
Sanitation Platform (SanPlat)
Easily made latrine slabs encourage household bathroom construction.
Proper hygiene and sanitation facilities go hand-in-hand with access to clean, reliable water.
A SanPlat is most literally the slab one would squat over when utilizing the bathroom.
The community chooses 5 households to receive SanPlats made on site under our training and guidance. The goal: seeing the need for safe latrines throughout their community, each household will be inspired to build their own.
Hygiene and Sanitation Training
For many communities, water is just the beginning. Living without water deprioritizes things that deplete water rations, like bathing, cleaning, and even handwashing. Also, in some cases, community members who couldn’t afford to go to school never learned topics usually covered in health classes. A steady water supply on its own won’t solve these issues, which is why we train the people in every community, school, and health center we provide with a water project.
Although we tailor the subjects we cover in each training to each region and community, there are some staples we always touch on: water handling and storage; personal and environmental hygiene; disease transmission; how to form and maintain a water user committee; and the operation/maintenance of the community’s new water project.
With each training, our goal is to empower communities to take back their personal health so growth and development can begin.
Monitoring and Resolution
Sub-Saharan Africa is littered with broken and abandoned wells installed by well-meaning people.
We love celebrating when a project is complete and a community has access to clean, safe water. However, reliability is the true measure of our impact.
Water can only transform lives if it’s always there. Water-fetchers need to know that when they visit one of our water points, there will always be water. Sometimes, it only takes one sip of dirty water to make someone sick, even if they’d been drinking clean water for months beforehand.
This is why we measure our water projects’ downtime in hours, not days or weeks. Each hour is critical to someone’s life, and each hour someone has to wait for clean water is another opportunity to go back to the rivers, swamps, and scoop holes they resorted to before our water project was installed. Our past water projects are just as important as what we tackle in the future.
The Water Project monitors all of our water projects to make sure water service continues. To learn more about how you can help with ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and resolution, read about The Water Promise: a group of amazing, world-changing monthly donors who understand the power of keeping water flowing long after the installation is done.
Project Timeline FAQ
Project Status
We’re working hard to make sure your gifts result in a lasting water project for the community it serves. Our engagement with a community begins many months before construction and lasts years after construction. The timeline here is focused on the physical construction of the water project. There is also training and engagement work that has already started.
Water project construction in the developing world is hard work. A lot of things can and do cause delays - which are normal. We attempt to make our best judgment of when construction will be complete, but the circumstances surrounding actual "in the field" conditions are far from our control.
Weather, supply availability, government paperwork, and progress of community involvement are just a few of the variables that can delay (and sometimes speed up) a project's completion.
We will always tell you if anything changes. And, if you get a notice like this – it’s actually further proof your gifts are being carefully used towards a water project that lasts.
Click icons to learn about each feature.
Report Submitted by Lillian Achieng', Field Officer
Lillian is motivated to help people gain access to clean and safe water after experiencing the impact of dirty water first hand. Her desire is to see clean water sources brought closer to communities so people do not have to travel long distances to fetch water, like she did as a child.
Lillian has been a Field Officer since 2018, with WeWaSaFo, The Water Project's trusted partner in our Western Kenya WaSH Program.
People in this community live as big families all on one big piece of land. Children live with their parents and also with their grandparents, who have their own homes built on the property. Many family chores are done united together, and they all share what they have including food. Extended family members are also welcomed to live with their relatives. In some families, both parents work to provide for the children while in others the women stay at home to do the house chores and take care of the children.
In Eshiasuli, people make a living mostly off of subsistence farming and casual labor. They also keep animals like goats and cows for domestic purposes. This benefits them with milk that can sometimes be sold to earn cash to solve a crucial need like school fees or a hospital bill in the family. The number of people who have reliable occupations is so low compared to the number of people who are mere casual laborers.
A Water Problem
It is common for women to fetch water first thing in the morning. No, they don't walk to a kitchen sink or somewhere else in the home to find water. Their water is out in the community at Eshiasuli Spring, which is the main source of water for the 150 people living here. The water bubbles up to the surface and is open to contamination. To make water easier to gather, community members have fixed a plastic pipe to funnel water into their containers.
This water is brought back home and used to meet the family's water needs, including drinking. But since the water's dirty, it's causing illnesses like typhoid.
"Our lives are in God's hands when it comes to the issue of drinking water in this community. During the rainy season, it becomes even worse because the water becomes even dirtier. Our children have suffered most since they are much young and vulnerable," said Mrs. Lichuma.
"Fetching water is a nightmare since one has to set aside too much time for it. If it was [properly] piped, it would be quicker and easier."
Solution: Spring Protection
Protecting the spring will ensure that the water is safe, adequate and secure. Construction will keep surface runoff and other contaminants out of the water. With the community’s high involvement in the process, there should be a good sense of responsibility and ownership for the new clean water source.
Fetching water is predominantly a female role, done by both women and young girls. Protecting the spring and offering training and support will, therefore, help empower the female members of the community by giving them more time and efforts to engage and invest in income-generating activities.
Training
"The sanitation and hygiene of this community are not encouraging. Many community members don't actually understand the importance of good sanitation. You will find used utensils lying everywhere in a homestead with flies settling on them and dogs licking on them. There is a local saying here that as long as one has eaten, cleanliness is no big deal. This has seen us lose many people to diarrhea," said Mrs. Khalumi.
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 at a minimum.
Sanitation Platforms
Less than half of the households living around Eshiasuli Spring have their own pit latrine. Those without them share with their neighbors. Latrines are made of mud and are very difficult to clean.
On the final day of training, participants will select five families that should most benefit from new latrine floors.
Training will also inform the community and selected families on what they need to contribute to make this project a success. They must mobilize locally available materials, such as bricks, clean sand, hardcore, and ballast. The five families chosen for sanitation platforms must prepare by sinking a pit for the sanitation platforms to be placed over. All community members must work together to make sure that accommodations and food are always provided for the work teams.
Project Updates
November, 2020: Through Their Eyes: COVID-19 Chronicles with Silas Indayi Khakhonya
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 toread more of their stories here.
Our team recently visited Eshiasuli to conduct a COVID-19 prevention training (read more about it below!) and monitor their water point, Eshiasuli Spring. 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.
It was during this most recent visit that Silas Indayi Khakhonya, a 35-year-old farmer, shared his story of how the coronavirus is impacting his life and his community.
Silas fetching water from Eshiasuli Spring.
Field Officer Georgina Kamau met Silas outside his home to conduct the interview. Both Georgina and Silas observed physical distancing and other precautions throughout the visit to ensure their health and safety. The following is Silas' story, in his own words.
What is one thing that has changed in your community since the completion of the water project?
"The water is now clean and easily accessible. The place is clean and we really enjoy fetching water."
How has having a clean water point helped you through the pandemic so far?
"The fact that water is easily accessible has helped a lot in that we always have clean water available in the house as well as the leaky tins (for handwashing) installed in every homestead."
Silas washing his hands with soap and clean water from the spring using the leaky tin handwashing station his family set up on the dishrack outside their home.
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?
"Yes, a lot has changed. We have to maintain social distance at the spring and avoid touching the discharge pipe. We have also reduced the number of trips to the spring in accordance with the rule of staying indoors to avoid overcrowding."
Silas fetches water while others, including his wife and daughter in back, wait in line while observing physical distancing.
How has COVID-19 impacted your family?
"The daily schedule has changed due to curfew and changes in water fetching due to overcrowding. Some students have resumed classes in school but they are still limited in play as well as other school activities such as outdoor games."
Silas' family at home
What other challenges are you experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic?
"We have to avoid crowds, meaning business interactions are limited. Furthermore, transport has become expensive as well as foodstuffs since cash is not coming in as before."
Silas weeds his potato farm
What hygiene and sanitation steps have you and your community taken to stop the spread of the virus?
"We all have leaky tins installed in our homesteads to ensure we wash our hands using soap and water as often as possible. We also ensure we wear masks whenever we leave the house."
Like most governments around the world, the Kenyan government continues to set and adjust restrictions both nationally and regionally to help control the spread of the virus.
What restriction were you most excited to see lifted already?
"The opening of social gatherings was appreciated since we can attend funerals to bury our loved ones and also weddings to watch our friends and family tie the knot."
What restriction are you still looking forward to being lifted?
"Lately, our county has been a hotspot for the virus and a lot of people are dying. Since our lives are more important, we prefer the numbers to go down before any other restrictions are lifted."
Silas with his mask on
When asked where he receives information about COVID-19, Silas listed the radio, television, newspaper, word of mouth, and non-governmental organization (NGO) trainings including our team's sensitization training.
What has been the most valuable part of the COVID-19 sensitization training you received from our team?
"They taught us how to sew masks using locally available materials which has been helpful, especially for us who have children and cannot afford to buy masks every time we leave the house."
July, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Eshiasuli Community, Eshiasuli Spring
Reviewing COVID-19 symptoms and prevention using posters provided by the Kenyan Ministry of Health
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 Eshiasuli, Kenya.
Showing how to build and use a tippy tap handwashing station
We trained more than 16 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 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 session
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.
Everyone practices 10 steps of handwashing
During training, we installed anew handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point, along with a sign with reminders of what we covered.
Homemade mask tutorial
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.
Sample mask made at training
"The training was very educative and worthwhile. We did not even know that someone can make a mask at home using the simple procedure you just demonstrated to us," said participant Petronilla Nechesa. She went on to encourage her fellow community members to avoid shaking hands when greeting and also avoid sitting or standing close to one another in order to keep Coronavirus away from their village.
Putting on a mask made at training
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.
July, 2019: Eshiasuli Community, Eshiasuli Spring Project Complete!
Eshiasuli Community now has clean water! Eshiasuli 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.
Smiles for flowing water!
Spring Protection
Eshiasuli Spring has been in existence for a long time - so long that even the community members don't know when it came into existence. It has always been their main source of water. Community members use it during the rainy and dry seasons since it never goes dry.
Before protection, drawing water from the spring took several minutes since the water source wasn't centralized in the ground. The community members at first were a bit skeptical about the idea of the spring being protected since they had received such promises from other groups before, but they had never been fulfilled. Keeping our word and following through with the spring protection revived the trust of Eshiasuli community members and their hopes were raised again.
Consuming dirty water, especially during the rainy season, has been the norm in this community for so long - but not anymore.
Fetching water
The Process
Community members provided all locally available construction materials, e.g bricks, wheelbarrows of clean sand, stones, and fencing poles. Accommodations and meals were provided for the artisan, too.
Children carrying bricks to the spring construction site
Men and women lent their strength to the artisan to help him with manual labor. The spring area was excavated to create space for setting the foundation of plastic, wire mesh and concrete. After the base had been set, both wing walls and the headwall were set in place using brickwork. The discharge pipe was fixed low in place through the headwall to direct the water from the reservoir to the drawing area.
Bricklaying
Digging the drainage channel
As the wing walls and headwall were curing, the stairs were set and ceramic tiles were fixed directly below the discharge pipe. This protects the concrete from the erosive force of the falling water and beautifies the spring. The process of plastering the headwall and wing walls on both sides reinforces the brickwork and prevents water from the reservoir from seeping through the walls and allows pressure to build in the collection box to push water up through the discharge pipe.
Adding cement
The source area was filled up with clean stones and sand and covered with a plastic membrane to eliminate any potential sources of contamination. It took about two weeks of patience for the concrete to dry.
As soon as it was ready, people got the okay from our field officers to begin fetching clean water. We met them there to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Camera shy
Mr. Patrick Makotswe, a farmer in the village, was very pleased with the protection of Eshiasuli Spring when we visited.
"This water point serves so many households and this change has meant a lot to many of us. Our children can now help in fetching water quickly, unlike before when they could waste so much time at the spring trying to fill a jerrycan," he said.
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 leave waste outdoors. We are continuing to encourage families to finish building walls and roofs over their new latrine floors.
Proud sanitation platform recipient
New Knowledge
Stanley Machanja, a farmer in Eshiasulu, was tasked with organizing the training. He gave us the community’s preferred date for training, for he was very much aware of the community calendar when it comes to planting season and other big events.
The attendance at training was affected by the current rainy season, which meant that many community members were busy planting on their farms. On this particular Saturday, the weather was chilly due to the rains that had we had experienced the previous day and night.
The participants, having chosen the training to be held at the spring site, found it even hard to sit down on the ground due to the wetness. The sun later showed up through the clouds, however, and it became somewhat warm. The 12 people who did attend braved the cold and stayed for the whole training.
Eager handwashing participant
When we first unveiled the notebooks and writing utensils we typically used for training, some of the participants almost left stating that they were illiterate. It took the facilitator to explain that the training would benefit both the literate and illiterate since it had to do with the day to day lives of the community members.
The training was to educate them on the "do's and dont's" concerning their water and the maintenance of their water point. This caused them to stay and they then felt emboldened to participate fully in the training including the practical sessions.
Dental hygiene training
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.
Handwashing practice
While discussing the many and varied ways that water can become contaminated after it is collected from the source (known as the chain of contamination), there was quite a stir among the attendees. The community members got very active during this topic to inquire about the contaminants since poor handling of water has been their daily norm.
The information came as a shock and they realized that being keen on handling water properly would reduce their waterborne diseases. Practices we advised against included dipping dirty hands into clean water, storing water for more than three days, and using dirty containers to collect clean water.
Training complete!
Mr. Bernard Chibole, a farmer in Eshiasuli, shared his impression of the training with us at the end of the day.
"There are so many things concerning water handling that I have seen our mothers do for ages, not knowing that they have all been contributing to water contamination," he said.
"Today I have learned a lot and will ensure that my wife, who did not attend this training, will get this knowledge."
Thank you for making all of this possible!
June, 2019: Eshiasuli Community, Eshiasuli Spring Project Underway
Dirty water from Eshiasuli Spring is making people in Eshiasuli 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 community profile and pictures we’ve posted, and learn more about this water, sanitation, and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out soon with news of success!
Project Videos
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!
Giving Update: Eshiasuli Community, Eshiasuli Spring
February, 2021
A year ago, your generous donation helped Eshiasuli Community in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Esther. Thank you!
Keeping The Water Promise
There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Eshiasuli Community.
This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Eshiasuli Community 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!
"I used to be scared going to the spring alone to get water because the terrain was steep and one could easily fall, especially when it rained."
"The beautiful stairs that were installed during the spring protection have since made it easy for us to access the spring."
"My siblings and I enjoy making several trips to the spring and back to fetch clean water."
"I love the taste of clean water from the protected spring."
"Fetching water is now faster and easy, especially for children like me."
"Since we have clean water to drink and for other home chores, our health standards have improved greatly."
Esther gives thumbs up at the spring next to Field Officer Christine Masinde.
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 Eshiasuli Community 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 Eshiasuli Community – 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.
Rehabilitation Project
