May, 2021: Shatuma Spring Project Complete!

Shamoni Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Shatuma Spring into a flowing source of water, thanks to your donation. Our team protected the spring and trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices, including COVID-19 prevention.

"Having been protected, our water is now safe for drinking. We are assured of clean water every day as the spring is now accessible to all at any given time. As a business person, I see myself getting to my workstation in time. Long before the installation of this water point, we used to spend much time at the water point as the discharge used to be low due to the diversion of water," remarked John Jumba, the elected Chair of the spring's water user committee.

Children were just as excited as the adults about the new water point.

"Cases of water-related infections will now be a thing of the past. In recent years, I had been diagnosed with typhoid and even sore throat complications, and these I related to the water we collected at the spring," recalled primary school-aged Sarah.

"I see myself having ample time for my studies. I will no longer be wasting much time at the spring as the spring is now accessible. Availability of clean, sufficient water will ensure that I wash my clothes, enabling me to put on clean clothes every day," she added.

Preparing for Spring Protection

Community members worked together to source and carried all locally available construction materials to the spring. These included bricks, sand, stones, and fencing poles. Some people also chiseled away at large stones to break them down into the gravel. Because people have to carry most items by hand, the materials collection process can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.

When everything was prepared, we sent a lorry to the community to deliver the rest of the construction materials, including the cement, plastic tarps, and hardware. Then, our artisan and field officers deployed to the spring to begin work. Individual households provided meals throughout each day to sustain the work team.

From Open Source to Protected Spring: A Step-by-Step Process

At last, it was time to dig in at the spring! Women and men lent their strength to the artisan each day to help with the manual labor. First, we cleared and excavated the spring area. We dug a drainage channel below the spring and several surface runoff diversion channels above and around the spring. These help to divert environmental contaminants carried by the rains away from the spring.

To ensure community members could still fetch water throughout the construction process, we also dug temporary diversion channels from the spring’s eye around the construction site. This allowed water to flow without severely disrupting community members’ water needs or the construction work.

Excavation created space for setting the spring’s foundation made of thick plastic tarp, wire mesh, concrete, and waterproof cement. After setting the base, we started brickwork to build the headwall, wing walls, and stairs.

Next, we began one of the most crucial spring protection steps to ensure a fully functional water point: setting the discharge pipe. The discharge pipe has to be low enough in the headwall so that the water level inside never rises above the spring’s eye, yet high enough to leave eighteen to twenty inches between the pipe and the spring floor. This allows room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipe without making contact.

If the discharge pipe were placed too high above the spring’s eye, too much backpressure could force the flow to emerge elsewhere. Too low, and community members would not be able to access the water easily. We embedded the pipe using clay (or mortar when the clay is in short supply) and placed it slightly incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

In coordination with brickwork, we pitched medium to large stones on both sides of the spring’s drainage channel. We then cemented and plastered each stone group into place, forming the rub walls. This helps discourage people and animals from standing on that area, which could cause soil erosion and thus a clogged drainage area.

We turned to cementing and plastering both sides of the headwall and wing walls with brickwork and stone pitching completed. These finishing layers reinforce the brickwork and prevent water in the reservoir from seeping through the walls. In turn, enough pressure builds in the reservoir box to push water out through the discharge pipe.

As the headwall and wing walls were curing, we cemented and plastered the stairs and installed four tiles beneath the discharge pipe. The tiles protect the concrete from the falling water’s erosive force while beautifying the spring and facilitating easy cleaning of the spring floor.

We transitioned to the final stages of construction with the tiles in place - backfilling the reservoir box. First, we cleared the collection box of any debris that may have fallen in since its construction, such as dead leaves or other items. Then we redirected the temporary diversion channels back into the reservoir box, channeling water into this area for the first time. We closed off all of the other exits to start forcing the water through the discharge pipe only.

With much help from the community, we filled up the reservoir area with the clean and large stones they gathered, arranging them in layers like a well-fitting puzzle. We covered the stones with a thick plastic tarp to minimize potential contamination sources from aboveground, followed by a layer of soil. We piled enough soil on top to create a slight mound to compensate for the backfill’s future settlement.

Community members transplanted grass onto the backfilled soil to help prevent erosion. Finally, the collection area was fenced to discourage any person or animal from walking on it since compaction can lead to disturbances in the backfill layers and potentially compromise water quality.

The entire construction process took about two weeks of work and patience to allow the cement and plaster to finish curing. As soon as it was ready, people got the okay from our field officers to fetch water. We officially handed over the spring directly following training to mark the community's ownership of the water point. On the day of commissioning, songs and jubilation did carry the day. Participants were so happy with the project installed and did promise to maintain it.

Training on Health, Hygiene, COVID-19, and More

Due to the ongoing challenges and restrictions amidst the pandemic, we worked with local leaders and the national Ministry of Health to gain approval for a small group training about health, hygiene, and COVID-19 prevention.

Together with the community, we found their preferred date for training while considering other community calendar events, such as agricultural and social events. We requested a representative group of community members to attend training to relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

When the day arrived, facilitators, Samuel and Dominic deployed to the site to lead the event. With the third wave of COVID-19 hitting Kenya, we had to limit participants for the training. Key members of the community were selected from various households taking into consideration gender parity. Eleven people attended the training, including community-based leaders and self-help group members.

With no house to accommodate all participants, it was fortunate that the weather was calm and hot, allowing us to utilize John Jumba's compound. Physical spacing was considered as this created an atmosphere that encouraged participation and learning, especially during this time of COVID-19.

Perhaps the most crucial topic of the day was our session on COVID-19 prevention and control. Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the virus and provide extra information where needed. We also left behind a rice sack painted with messages of COVID-19 prevention reminders in the local language.

We covered several other topics, including community participation in the project; leadership and governance; personal and environmental hygiene; water handling and treatment; operation and maintenance of the spring; dental hygiene; the ten steps of handwashing, and how to make and use a tippy tap and leaky tin. We held an election for the newly formed water user committee leaders during the leadership and governance session.

We also brainstormed income-generating activities that can be used to start a community savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group to enable members to develop small businesses.

"Good hygiene practice is key in one's development. Today's training has shed more light on how we need to maintain our hygiene and sanitation standards. We are going to extend this information to our members so that they live a healthy life," said John Juma, a local businessperson and the elected Chair of the spring's water user committee.

"COVID-19 is real. It's here with us. Today's training on COVID-19 has enabled us to gather information, much of which we weren't aware of. In this community, we tend to trust one another, not knowing their health condition. We will encourage social distancing, putting on masks, and washing of hands at all times. As one of the elders in this community, I promise to champion the process of awareness to ensure we live as a COVID-19 free community," John continued.

"Most of our members have been complaining of not being able to afford handwashing facilities. Today we have been taught how to improvise a handwashing facility. We will train our members on how to make the leaky tin and ensure that water and soap are available at all times. From the discussion today, we know COVID-19 is a threat to our health. As a community, we have to come together and help curb the spread of the virus, or else it will teach us a big lesson."

When an issue arises concerning the water project, the water user committee is equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure the water point works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our field officers to assist them. Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our ongoing monitoring and maintenance program.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

April, 2021: Shatuma Spring Project Underway!

Dirty water from Shatuma Spring is making people in Shamoni, Kenya sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install 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 with news of success!