May, 2021: Matiang'i Spring Project Complete!

Mwitwa Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Matiang'i 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.

"I will be healthier than before, and also I will improve on my sanitation and hygiene skills. It will also help me with time management because I'm no longer wasting a lot of time searching for safe water for drinking. I will use the water for irrigation, for I'm planning to be a prosperous farmer in the future," said Jacinta Mukoya, a young farmer in the community.

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

"Life will be manageable because the troubles we have been passing through searching for safe water for drinking were so immense and unbearable. Henceforth, I will have enough time after school in the evening for studies," said young teenager George.

"The water point will help me and my parents practice farming and save money for my education. It will also help me with time management skills because there will be no more toiling in search of safe water for drinking, which will ensure the best performance in my education."

"I feel that this water point is going to be taken care of following the level of unity expressed by the people from this community," said team member Joyce Naliaka, who helped lead this project to completion.

"The grandchildren of a single-family grew into a large family that came together and created Mwitwa community that was named after an Oak-like tree called 'mutua' that was in the middle of that village. The council of elders mostly used the tree as a community court for ruling out cases concerning youths and other members of the community," Joyce said. Generations later, that mutua tree is still a central part of the community. The village continues to work together as if they are still just one family united in their efforts, she added, leading to her confidence in their care of the newly protected spring.

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. These help 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. The community members expressed their joy by dancing, jumping, and splashing water around.

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 Joyce, Jacque, and Julius deployed to the site to lead the event. Twelve people attended the training, including community-based leaders. It was a cool and bright morning, and the environment was conducive with no signs of rain. Community members gathered under an oak tree at Mr. Alex's compound. As the grass was dry with no signs of dew, the community members decided to sit on the ground surrounded by the graves of Alex's parents and grandparents. The compound was so spacious, providing enough room for physical distancing.

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 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.

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 people can use to start community savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group to enable members to develop small businesses.

"Training was very valuable to me because it has made me realize that everything I have been doing as pertains to sanitation and hygiene was totally wrong. The new knowledge will help me work on these areas accordingly and also try to be an ambassador to those who totally lack the knowledge by organizing sensitization meetings with other communities," said John Akasi, a carpenter in the community and the spring's elected Chair.

"It was very valuable, for it has made me realize the importance of taking care of myself and my family members," said Everlyn Makokha, the spring's elected Treasurer and a farmer and business owner, referring to the training.

"It will help me learn how to adhere to the rules and guidelines set aside by the Ministry of Health to ensure that I keep myself safe when visiting and after visiting the market."

"We were using handwashing stations in our homesteads, and also some community members were making and selling face masks to other members. We also used to keep social distance while purchasing stuff from the shops."

Everlyne said the parts of training she valued most were the sessions on "how to wear masks properly and wash our hands in the right way to avoid contracting the virus." After training, she said as a community. They would "emphasize on handwashing, make sure the water point is safe from the virus by encouraging members to adhere to the rules set aside by the Water User Committee and make sure the environment is clean and safe for every member in our families."

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: Matiang'i Spring Project Underway!

Dirty water from Matiang'i Spring is making people in Mwitwa, 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!