February, 2023: Makuchi Community Spring Protection Complete!
Makuchi Community now has access to clean water! We transformed Ominde Spring into a flowing source of naturally filtered water thanks to your donation. Our team also trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for community members to live better, healthier lives.
"The way I am fetching water is not like the other day. I just put my jerrycan at the discharge pipe, and within a second, my jerrycan is full. It is so amazing, and we thank God for this project," said 32-year-old farmer Mildred Luvale.
Mildred fetching water.
"Drinking safe, clean water [will] impact my life a lot because I know I [will] no longer be affected with water-related ailments, especially during [the] rainy season," Mildred said.
Children were just as excited as adults about the new waterpoint.
"[The] reliability of water from this water point will impact my life positively because I will no longer have challenges when fetching water since the installed pipes discharge highly. Additionally, I will be drinking safe, clean water, unlike before when I used to drink contaminated water, which had affected me negatively, especially during [the] rainy season," said 12-year-old Bravin B.
Bravin at the protected spring.
"Now that the water point is completed, my plan or goal is to ensure that I improve in my studies because I will no longer spend more time [at] the water point," said Bravin.
Preparing for Spring Protection
Community members worked together to source and carry all locally available construction materials to the spring. These included bricks, sand, stones, and fencing poles. Some people also chiseled away at large rocks to break them down into gravel. Because people have to carry most items by hand, the material-collection process can take anywhere from a few weeks to months.
When the community was ready, we sent a lorry to deliver the remaining construction materials, including cement, plastic tarps, and hardware. Then, our construction 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
First, we cleared and excavated the spring area. Next, we dug a drainage channel below the spring and several runoff diversion channels above and around the spring. These help to divert surface contaminants away.
To ensure community members could still access water throughout the construction process, we also dug temporary channels from the spring's eye around the construction site. This allowed water to flow without disrupting community members' tasks 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 establishing the base, we started brickwork to build the headwall, wing walls, and stairs. Once the walls had grown tall enough, we began one of the most crucial steps: setting the discharge pipes. The discharge pipes need to be positioned low enough in the headwall so the water level never rises above the spring's eye, yet high enough to allow room for the average jerrycan (a 20-liter container) to sit beneath the pipes without making contact.
Setting the discharge pipes.
If we place the discharge pipes too high above the spring's eye, backpressure could force water to emerge elsewhere. Too low, and community members would not be able to access the water easily. We embedded the pipes using clay (or mortar when clay is in short supply) and placed them at an incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.
In coordination with brickwork, we pitched stones on both sides of the spring's drainage channel. We then cemented and plastered each stone, forming the rub walls. These walls discourage people and animals from standing in that area, which could cause soil erosion and a clogged drainage area.
We then cemented and plastered 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 pipes.
As the headwall and wing walls cured, we cemented and plastered the stairs and installed four tiles beneath the discharge pipes. The tiles protect the concrete from the falling water's erosive force while beautifying the spring and facilitating easy cleaning of the spring floor.
The final stage of construction is backfilling the reservoir box behind the discharge pipes. We cleared the collection box of any debris that may have fallen during construction. 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 water through the discharge pipes only.
We filled up the reservoir area with the large, clean stones community members had gathered, arranging them in layers like a well-fitting puzzle. We covered the rocks with a thick plastic tarp to minimize potential contamination sources, then piled enough dirt on top to compensate for future settling.
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. 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 the spring was ready, people got the okay from their local field officers to fetch water.
After construction was completed, community members came out in large numbers to celebrate. The women and children danced, and the village elder requested that people take good care of the spring. He emphasized that anyone found not doing what is necessary at the water point would be accountable.
"[The] construction of Ominde Spring has given the community members a great hope," said our field officer Nelly Chebet. "[The] protection of this water point has made the community members very happy. Lastly, they thanked everyone for ensuring [that] the young ones, adults, and the old aged people are drinking safe, clean water."
Happiness, thanksgiving, and appreciation were the order of the day, flowing in all directions.
Training on Health, Hygiene, and More
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 and relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.
When the day arrived, facilitators Nelly, Wilson, and Brian deployed to the site to lead the event. 26 people attended the training, including 22 women and four men. We held the training under some shade trees.
We covered several topics, including community participation in the project, leadership and governance, personal and environmental hygiene, water handling and treatment, spring maintenance, dental hygiene, the ten steps of handwashing, disease prevention, and how to make and use handwashing stations.
During the leadership and governance session, we held an election for the newly formed water user committee leaders, who will oversee the maintenance of the spring. We also brainstormed income-generating activities. Community members can now start a group savings account for any future minor repairs to the spring and a cooperative lending group, enabling them to develop small businesses.
"The most memorable topic was handwashing. The participants were so amazed [by] the ten steps of handwashing [and] most of them were able to keenly follow the steps," said our field officer Nelly Chebet.
During the soap-making session, one of the participants stood up and commented that since she is so busy with gold mining activities, she doesn't wash her hands, but only wipes them down when it's time to eat. We encouraged her to wash her hands regularly with soap using a home-built handwashing station so she can invest in her health.
Learning proper handwashing techniques.
"The training has impacted me positively," said Bravin, quoted earlier. "As a young boy, I have learned so much in hygiene practices, such as taking baths at least twice a day, unlike me, [since] I usually took baths twice a week. Additionally, on [the] soap-making process, I have never known how liquid soap can be made. But today, I was so lucky because my friends have been telling me they used to sell the soap at their home and they make the soap by themselves. I was wondering how can they make soap, and they told me the process was done at Makuchi Primary School by your organization. I was so happy when I saw people from this organization come to our community, and I knew that I am going to learn how liquid soap is made."
Group photo of participants from the training.
Conclusion
This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members themselves. When an issue arises concerning the spring, 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 their local field officers to assist them.
Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.
With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In our target areas, we’re working toward complete coverage of reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!
Thank you for making all of this possible!
Rehabilitation Project
