Shirere Community

The 196 community members in Shirere rely on the Oloo Amiga spring to meet their daily water needs, but it has several problems. Since most people are casual laborers who make meager incomes that are barely enough to sustain their families, they can't afford the consequences of the springs' problems.

The spring, which had an incomplete protection attempted in the past, is located at the bottom of a significant slope, so it is challenging to access, even more so when carrying heavy, cumbersome water containers. This is especially true during the rainy season when the narrow, steep path becomes so muddy and slick that it is treacherous to navigate, and people risk serious injury trying to climb back up the hill. Because of its location, dirt and contaminants run downhill directly into the water. In addition, animals drink from the same source and contaminate it with their excrement, and falling leaves and branches from nearby trees fall into the water and rot.

"The environment of the water source is so pathetic in that there are no stairs to the water point, and the area is also muddy and swampy," said our field officer Jemmimah Khasoha.

Another significant issue, since so many rely on the same water point, is overcrowding. The water does not flow properly, and positioning water jugs under the incorrectly placed spout is challenging, so it is a painstakingly slow process to fill even one container. People wait in long lines causing them to be late to work and students to be late to school. Even when children do make it to school on time, they are guaranteed that as soon as the school day ends, they will head straight back to the spring to wait in more long lines to collect additional water for their families.

"My school assignments always are submitted late. This is because, for me, the time to work on school assignments is not found. Ensuring that there is water at home after school is the most tiring. Accessing the water point is stressful," said 16-year-old Sharon I. (seen below).

"The current water situation affects my children, especially those that are school-going. Many times, they are forced to come back from school and go to the spring to fetch water without doing anything else. This makes it very difficult for them to help out [with] the other house chores," said 58-year-old farmer Richard Oloo Amiga, seen carrying water below.

Another problem for community members is when they consume the spring's contaminated water, they end up suffering from frequent cases of diarrheal diseases such as typhoid and cholera. Inevitably the illnesses require medical treatment and, at times, even hospitalization in order for them to recover, but these cost time and money people really can't afford to give.

Our field officer Jemmimah said, "Excessive financial drainage to foot the hospital bills is also another big challenge because the small cash that one receives from the casual labor [they do] is needed for running the home."

By protecting the spring, community members should be able to get back to doing vital tasks without wasting their valuable time waiting to collect water, and their health and financial situations should both improve.

"I would be the happiest of all [if] we shall find help so that our water can be protected," concluded Sharon.

What We Can Do:

Spring Reconstruction

Although the community attempted to protect this spring, it does not meet World Health Organization standards, which ensure that the water is protected from contamination and safe to access. Local expert artisans will remove the previous spring elements and correctly install new components to ensure the community's access to clean, sufficient water.

Reconstruction by The Water Project artisans will ensure that this spring has all of the necessary components of a spring protection, which include:

Stairs to provide access during any season
Drainage channels to avert stagnant water
Fencing to prevent the spring box's filtration layers from being compacted by people and animals
Correctly positioned discharge pipe(s) that allow(s) water-collection containers to sit beneath without human intervention
Cement floor with tiles that preclude structure erosion
Walls that channel water for proper drainage
A chlorine dispenser to treat water for added safety

Reconstructing 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. Reconstructing 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 and More

To hold trainings we work closely with both community leaders and the local government. 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. 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

August, 2023: Shirere Community Spring Protection Complete!

Shirere Community now has access to clean water! Thanks to your donation, we transformed their spring into a flowing source of naturally filtered water. We also installed a chlorine dispenser to provide added protection and trained the community on improved sanitation and hygiene practices. Together, these components will unlock the opportunity for community members to live better, healthier lives.

"Access to reliable, clean water will help me have enough time to get to do my business. After construction, the water is discharging at high speed, which makes me not waste time. This water will help me achieve to do my business well. This water point will also help me make soap easily so that I can sell [it] for more income," said 36-year-old business lady Lydia Lustilili.

Lydia at the spring.

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

Mary M. collecting water.

"I normally help my grandmother to get water every time I come back from school. Now that this water point has been constructed, my life will be impacted positively. I will be able to do my school assignments on time because I will have enough time after getting water. With the new development at the spring, I will also be able to get to the water point and come back safely without injuries or loss of [my] container," said 13-year-old Mary M.

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 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 truck 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 around the construction site from the spring's eye. 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, 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, which prevents cross-contamination.

If we place the discharge pipes too high above the spring's eye, back pressure 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 the clay is in short supply) and placed them at an incline to ensure water flows in the right direction.

Since this spring has an incredible amount of water to offer, the design included three collection pipes.

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 pipe.

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 pipe. 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 close all other exits to force water through only the discharge pipe.

We filled 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 thick plastic to minimize potential contamination sources, then piled enough dirt on top to compensate for future settling.

Backfilling the reservoir box.

Community members transplanted grass onto the backfilled soil to help prevent erosion. 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 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.

The completed spring with the chlorine dispenser.

We officially handed over the spring to mark the community's ownership of the water point. 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 families and friends.

When the day arrived, facilitators Jemmimah and Victor deployed to the site to lead the event. 15 people attended the training, including 14 women and one man. We held the training under some shade trees near the spring.

We covered several topics, including community participation in the project; leadership and governance; personal, dental, and environmental hygiene; water handling and treatment; spring maintenance; the importance of primary health care and disease prevention; family planning; soapmaking; how to make and use handwashing stations; and the ten steps of handwashing.

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.

Participants were excited to learn new skills during the soap-making session. They were grateful for the timing of the training because the cost of living has increased, and now that they have the knowledge to make soap, they will not struggle to buy soap. Instead, they will be able to make their own soap.

Learning how to make soap.

"The training was so knowledgeable and impacting. I loved the soap-making training most. It is an activity that can keep me busy and help me make an income," said Lydia, who was quoted earlier.

Lydia.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members. 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 and there is guaranteed public access in the future. 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 Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, we're working toward complete coverage. That means 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!

July, 2023: Shirere Community Spring Protection Underway!

The lack of adequate water in Shirere Community costs people time, energy, and health every single day. Clean water scarcity contributes to community instability and diminishes individuals’ personal progress.

But thanks to your recent generosity, things will soon improve here. We are now working to install a reliable water point and improve hygiene standards. We look forward to sharing inspiring news in the near future!

Shirere Community

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