Project Status



Project Type:  Protected Spring

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 150 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2021

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 01/11/2024

Project Features


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"Personally, I have had to visit the hospital frequently due to contracting waterborne and water-related diseases including typhoid and diarrhea. This has made me use a lot of resources to cater to my medical needs," said 45-year-old farmer David Panyako.

"Most of the time I have had serious stomach pains due to consuming water from this spring. Due to the water getting dirty easily, it has led to wasting a lot of time fetching water, which in most cases has denied me enough time to play with my friends," explained Samuel, a young boy in the community.

The dirty water causing David, Samuel, and some 150 other people in Shianda to fall sick so often comes from Panyako Spring. Many community members here reported the same problems of waterborne illnesses, dirty water, and time wastage at the spring due to its unprotected state. When people get sick from the water, they lose even more time while they recover and seek medical treatment. These expensive hospital visits cost families financially, and they keep adults home from their work and children home from school.

To fetch water at the spring, community members must first pick their way across a small pile of stones they placed across the spring, serving as a makeshift bridge. These slippery and algae-covered rocks are the access area to the spring, though shoes and toes often slip into the water by accident anyway.

Then, people submerge their containers as deep as they can without touching the spring's bottom; otherwise, they stir up the mud and rotting leaves from the bottom into the water they are fetching. Next, they use a smaller container like a jug or cup to scoop water and top off their larger container by pouring the water inside. This process is tiring and time-consuming, and it inevitably dirties the water no matter how careful each person is. As the lines at the spring grow long, the water gets dirtier and people miss out on their other daily tasks.

In addition to the dirt and rotting leaves, algae, insects, and small animals all call the open spring water home. It is also a favorable environment for mosquitoes, which can carry harmful diseases like malaria.

Most of the community members here are farmers,  though some practice both farming and brick making to earn a living. Shianda village is known for its bullfighting events every Saturday and Sunday, which draw local and foreign tourists alike.

What We Can Do:

Spring Protection

Protecting the spring will help provide access to cleaner and safer water and reduce the time people have to spend to fetch it. 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 a task predominantly carried out by women and young girls. Protecting the spring and offering training and support will, therefore, help empower the female members of the community by freeing up more of their time and energy to engage and invest in income-generating activities and their education.

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

To hold trainings during the pandemic, we work closely with both community leaders and the local government to approve small groups to attend training. We ask community leaders to invite a select yet representative group of people to attend training who will then act as ambassadors to the rest of the community to share what they learn. We also communicate our expectations of physical distancing and wearing masks for all who choose to attend.

The training will focus on improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits in this community. We will also have a dedicated session on COVID-19 symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention best practices.

With the community’s input, we will identify key leverage points where they can alter their practices at the personal, household, and community levels to affect change. This training will help to ensure participants have the knowledge they need about healthy practices and their importance to make the most of their water point as soon as water is flowing.

Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train community members. Some of these methods include participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, asset-based community development, group discussions, handouts, and demonstrations at the spring.

One of the most important issues 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 is consumed. We and the community strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve living standards here, which will help to unlock the potential for these community members to live better, healthier lives.

We will then conduct a small series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.

Training will result in the formation of a water user committee, elected by their peers, that will oversee the operations and maintenance of the spring. The committee 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 channels. The fence will keep out destructive animals and unwanted waste, and the drainage will keep the area’s mosquito population at a minimum.

Project Updates


March, 2021: Panyako Spring Project Complete!

Shianda Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Panyako 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.

Mama Babu fetching water from the completed spring.

"Access to clean and safe water will play very vital roles in my life. I anticipate better health standards as a result of consuming clean water from the protected source. I will significantly improve my sanitation and hygiene standards. Above all, with the economic empowerment strategies I received from our facilitator, poverty is going to reduce tremendously," said David Panyako, the spring's landowner and elected Chair of the water user committee.

"Already, this water point has created the unity which was missing among some homes. This water point will help me achieve my economic plan of having a commercialized fish pond."

David Panyako holding a glass of clean water from the spring.

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

"Having clean water will definitely play a significant role in boosting my health standards, and this will help me excel in my studies as I will be able to attend to my studies 100%. The spring has minimized the time taken to draw water, and this has allocated more time to study," said Brenda, a teenager and secondary school student in the community.

Emmanuel enjoying the flowing water.

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.

Delivering bricks to the spring construction site.

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.

Excavation

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.

Laying the foundation

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.

Bricklaying begins

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 to allow room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipe without making contact.

Setting the discharge pipe

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 at a slight incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

Field Officer Jacky prepares stone pitching areas.

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. These help to discourage people and animals from trying to stand on that area, which could cause soil erosion and thus a clogged drainage area.

Plastering the stone pitching.

With brickwork and stone pitching completed, we turned to cementing and plastering both sides of the headwall and wing walls. 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.

Plastering the interior of the headwall.

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 also beautifying the spring and facilitating easy cleaning of the spring floor.

Backfilling with clay and large stones.

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.

Fitting the tarp to the catchment area.

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.

Fencing and planting grass

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.

Fencing

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. Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day flowing in all directions.

Mama Rose overjoyed at the completed spring.

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

Due to the ongoing challenges and restrictions amidst the pandemic, we worked with both 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 the agricultural season and social events. We requested a representative group of community members to attend training, relaying the information learned to the rest of their family and friends. When the day arrived, facilitator Jacky Chelagat deployed to the site to lead the event.

Field Officer Jacky and a community member demonstrate alternative contactless greetings to the traditional handshake.

21 people attended the training, including the local village health volunteer. We held the training outside near the spring under the shade of trees. The venue was spacious enough to maintain physical distancing among the participants, and the shade provided comfort and a breeze.

Perhaps the most important 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 affixed the sign to the spring's fence during training and encouraged community members to use it as a daily reminder to stay cautious both at home and at the spring.

Jacky and Mama Rose demonstrate the ten steps of handwashing using the tippy tap they built at training.

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 and sanitation platforms; 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.

Mary practices handwashing using the tippy tap.

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

Our session on the maintenance and sustainability of the spring was the most memorable. Community members asked many questions about the best ways they can maintain their spring. They all committed to ensuring their spring is well taken care of to ensure it continues to provide clean water for many years to come.

"People perish due to lack of knowledge. The training was well conducted, and the acquired knowledge will help me be a better person both in my home and in the entire community. I am well sensitized on matters of sanitation and hygiene, which I promise to implement to be a healthy person," said David Panyako, the spring's landowner and elected Chair of the water user committee.

Brenda (right) helps hold the cloth for Jacky to cut during the homemade face mask tutorial.

"As a school-going student, I was privileged to acquire a lot of information that will help me to be conscious of my hygiene and sanitation standards. This will translate to better health and good academic performance," said teenager Brenda, who also attended the training.

"Making and wearing masks was one area our community members were well conversant with. However, the majority would not wear the masks appropriately because they claimed that the COVID-19 virus was only contracted by people in big towns and the rich," Brenda added, noting some of the more popular myths about the virus in Kenya that the facilitators addressed.

Helping fit a new mask to Bernard.

"The facilitator went further and demonstrated how to make and use a tippy tap. This motivated members, and each promised to be washing their hands all the time. After receiving information on COVID-19 and its prevention measures, the trained participants promised to be washing their hands frequently, abstaining from gatherings, observing proper social distancing, and wearing masks," Brenda said.

"After receiving much information on how to prevent me from the virus, I am not that worried. I understand prevention is far better than a cure."

Mama Angel leaving the spring with clean water.

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' team to assist them. Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our ongoing monitoring and maintenance program.

Women wave in thanks at the spring.

Thank you for making all of this possible!




February, 2021: Panyako Spring Project Underway!

Dirty water from Panyako Spring is making people in Shianda, 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!




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!


A Year Later: No More Absenteeism!

May, 2022

A year ago, your generous donation helped Shianda Community in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Sheila. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Shianda Community 4.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Shianda Community 4 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!

Before Shianda Community's spring was protected, its people had to wait for the sediment stirred up from the bottom of the spring to clear each time they filled their jerrycans to avoid drinking dirty water.

"Accessing water was really a big problem," said Sheila M., 14. "[I] spent so much time collecting water, which was not really easy, as I wait[ed] [for] water to [settle] before fetching. This contributed to [a] long time queuing and also contamination of [the] water."

But now that the spring has been protected, there are no more long lines of people waiting to fetch water. Instead, people only have to place their containers beneath the discharge pipe to get water free of dirt and unseen contaminants.

"Personally, I really appreciate the water source," Sheila said. "I no longer spend much time queuing to fetch water. This has really improved [my] studying schedule. Furthermore, I can celebrate because [my academic] performance has been improved. Apart from that, general hygiene has also changed, i.e. I can wash clothes, bathe on a daily basis. This has also helped me to live a healthy life with minimal cases of diseases, no absenteeism to school, and my parents are also doing great in development compared to the past."

Sheila has used the availability of water to spread the message of good hygiene within her community.

"I can testify that, through this water point, [I] am [a] good ambassador to other children on matters concerning hygiene and sanitation," Sheila concluded.

Sheila fills a jerrycan at the spring.


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 Shianda Community 4 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 Shianda Community 4 – 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

Project Sponsor - John and Maurine Cox Foundation