Project Status



Project Type:  Protected Spring

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Project Phase:  Reserved
Estimated Install Date (?):  2022

Project Features


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Emukangu C's 175 community members are stuck in a cycle of poverty caused by the contaminated water they are forced to drink every day. Adults and children alike constantly suffer from diarrhea, typhoid, and debilitating stomach cramps. This means money is being spent on medicine and hospital visits rather than on developing businesses to sustain themselves (or literally anything else).

The community members tried to protect the spring themselves a few years back. But the people's unrelenting illnesses mean that the water source has been contaminated.

Christine M., a housewife who lives in Emukangu C (pictured below with her children), recounted her experience with waterborne illness for us. "We have been using this source for a while now. [I], personally, have had different occasions being sick and I did not know the cause. I would have stomach problems every time I take this water without treating [it], even being rushed to the hospital one time."

Her son, Samson (12), has experienced similar problems (the boy on the right in the above picture). "Just recently, I was admitted [to the hospital] for having contracted typhoid fever and severe malaria. It was so painful, I could not sit or stand upright because of the pains I was feeling in my stomach. The doctor said that this was because of taking contaminated water. So that means our current source of water is not safe for human consumption."

All these health issues would be bad enough without the treacherous route community members have to hike multiple times a day to collect water. During the rainy season, the path becomes especially slippery and muddy, which causes fetchers physical injury as well as illness from the contaminated water.

People in Emukangu C farm, but only enough to feed themselves. However, the community once had a flourishing quarry that sold aggregate (gravel) for construction. The soil is fertile and could be used for larger-scale farming. All the community members of Emukangu need is time and energy to make their community thrive again - time and energy that will come with a protected spring that is easily accessible and safe for consumption.

The Proposed Solution, Determined Together...

At The Water Project, everyone has a part in conversations and solutions. We operate in transparency, believing it benefits everyone. We expect reliability from one another as well as our water solutions. Everyone involved makes this possible through hard work and dedication.

In a joint discovery process, community members determine their most advantageous water solution alongside our technical experts. Read more specifics about this solution on the What We're Building tab of this project page. Then, community members lend their support by collecting needed construction materials (sometimes for months ahead of time!), providing labor alongside our artisans, sheltering and feeding the builders, and supplying additional resources.

Water Access for Everyone

This water project is one piece in a large puzzle. In Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources that guarantee public access now and in the future within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. One day, we hope to report that this has been achieved!

Training on Health, Hygiene & More

With the community’s input, we've identified topics where training will increase positive health outcomes at personal, household, and community levels. We’ll coordinate with them to find the best training date. Some examples of what we train communities on are:

  • Improved hygiene, health, and sanitation habits
  • Safe water handling, storage & treatment
  • Disease prevention and proper handwashing
  • Income-generation
  • Community leadership, governance, & election of a water committee
  • Operation and maintenance of the water point

We're just getting started, check back soon!


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!


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