Project Status



Project Type:  Protected Spring

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 210 Served

Project Phase:  Decommissioned

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Western Water and Sanitation Forum (WEWASAFO). Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Welcome to the Community

The 210 people of Shikoti Village wake up very early in the morning to work on their farms and prepare their children to go to school. The community living around the spring keeps dairy cattle and grows maize, sugar cane, bananas and vegetables. This not only provides the food they need to eat, but also generates income to pay for their children’s education. It is a hard-working community!  Brick-making is another vibrant economic activity, owing to the many construction projects going on in the area. The domestic work is predominantly done by women.

This community heard about the spring protection work going on in the neighboring administrative ward. They wrote a request letter to our executive director who then instructed that a baseline survey be conducted to ascertain the eligibility of the spring. The report was positive, and approval for spring protection was secured. “This is a God-given opportunity... protecting the Amboka Spring will solve their [our] water problems” Lillian Amboka exclaimed.

Water Situation

Amboka Spring has a good discharge and does not run dry during the driest periods of the year as was experienced between December and February. Unfortunately, this spring is contaminated by surface runoff, improper waste disposal, open defecation, bacteria and soil erosion. Its yellowish color should warn anyone to stay away. However, this is the source for water - to wash with, to drink, to bathe and cook with.

It takes quite a bit of time to scoop the water using buckets, jugs and small sufurias (shallow pans). The villagers take it to their homes and store it in earthen pots and plastic containers of 50 to 100 liters, some with covers, others without. The water containers are occasionally cleaned with leaves and bar soap, if the insides are accessible.  Sometimes water, sand and leaves are pushed into the openings of the jerrycans and swished around to clean the inside.

Most here have suffered from waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, amoeba as well as malaria from mosquito-breeding in the stagnant water hole. Very young children and the elderly are the most susceptible. Most of the residents around the spring lack basic knowledge of waterborne diseases and their prevention. They are easy targets for the myriad of bacteria and parasites they ingest in the water that they need in order to live!

Sanitation Situation

A mere 25 - 50% households here have pit latrines. The floors are made of cut branches and the superstructures - banana leaves, polythene papers, mud or iron sheeting - whatever they have on hand. They are often rickety structures that offer little privacy and can become unsafe after years of use. Since the wood floors cannot be cleaned, they can decay to the point of collapsing, oftentimes while in use.

Most of the 30 households don’t have dish racks or clotheslines and so items are left on the ground, the roof or nearby bushes. Garbage is carelessly strewn around the compounds or thrown in the gardens to, someday, become compost.

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Community members will attend hygiene and sanitation training for at least two days. This training will ensure participants are no longer ignorant about healthy practices and their importance. The facilitator plans to use PHAST (Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation), CLTS (Community-Led Total Sanitation), ABCD (Asset-Based Community Development), group discussions, handouts and demonstrations at the spring.

Training will also result in the formation of a committee that will oversee operations and maintenance at the spring. They 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.  Moreover the sanitation facilities and health promotion campaign through trainings will enable, enlighten the community to consider community health matters as high priorities.

Plans: Sanitation Platforms

On the final day of training, the Shikoti Community will select five of its families to benefit from new latrines. The five families must prepare by sinking a pit over which the sanitation platforms will be placed.

Plans: Spring Protection

The community in general will provide the locally available materials such as: ballast, hardcore (crushed rocks and gravel), clean sand, poles for fencing, unskilled labour, and accommodation and food for the work team.

A number of people will participate directly by providing unskilled labor in fencing the spring, planting the grass around the spring, supervising construction work and monitoring the progress, feeding and lodging the artisan.

Protecting the spring will ensure that the water is safe, adequate and secure. Construction will keep surface runoff and other contaminants out of the water.

Fetching water is predominantly a female role, done by both women and young girls. So, additionally, protecting the spring and offering training and support will empower the female members of the community by freeing up more time and energy to engage and invest in income-generating activities and enriching family life.

Project Updates


February, 2024: Project Change in Shikoti Community

Projects, like water itself, are fluid.

Sometimes, there are unique circumstances that can neither be resolved nor reversed that turn a well-loved water point into one that has failed to meet the expectations of both the community it serves and our own commitment to help provide access to safe and reliable water.

Unfortunately, Amboka Spring no longer meets the water needs of Shikoti Community since it has been dry for over 12 months. Despite repeated efforts, including three excavations, spent resources, and a lot of patience from the community and our team efforts have been unsuccessful.

The Water Project, community members, and local leaders have decided together that decommissioning Amboka Spring is the best course of action. As a result, we will no longer make monitoring visits here.




July, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Shikoti Community, Amboka Spring

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.

Facilitators show how to build a tippy tap handwashing station

We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to rural communities like Shikoti, Kenya.

Social distancing check

We trained more than 13 people on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19. Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

Filling tippy tap with clean spring water

We covered essential hygiene lessons:

- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station

- Proper handwashing technique

- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing

- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.

Handwashing with soap demonstration

We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What social distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough into an elbow

- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

- How to make and properly wear a facemask.

Handwashing using the new tippy tap

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point, along with a sign with reminders of what we covered.

Everyone practices the 10 steps of handwashing

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.

A complete face mask sewed during the tutorial at training

Training participant Loretta Shangu encouraged her fellow community members to put into practice what they had learned. Felkia Mukulo told the group to make sure every household has a handwashing facility that is put into the right use.

Showing how to properly put on and wear a mask

We continue to stay in touch with this community as the pandemic progresses. We want to ensure their water point remains functional and their community stays informed about the virus.

Reviewing the prevention reminders chart before installing it at the spring

Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention. You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.




December, 2018: A Year Later: Shikoti Community, Amboka Spring

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to protect Amboka Apring for Shikoti Community in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories. Read more...




February, 2018: Shikoti Community Project Complete

Amboka Spring in Shikoti Community, Kenya is now a protected, clean source of water thanks to your donation. The spring is protected from contamination, five sanitation platforms have been provided for the community, and training has been given in sanitation and hygiene. Imagine the changes that all of these resources are going to bring for these residents! You made it happen!  Now, want to do a bit more? Join our team of monthly donors and help us maintain this spring protection and many other projects.

Project Result: New Knowledge

We started planning hygiene and sanitation training right when spring construction started. We spoke with those helping our artisan and others who came to fetch water, asking them the most convenient time to meet. After agreeing on a time, these same community members went out to announce training door to door. Training was held at Mr. Amboka's homestead, since we could enjoy the shade proximate to the spring. There ended up being 15 participants, not counting the children who came with their parents.

We covered several topics including leadership and governance; operation and maintenance of the spring; healthcare; family planning; immunizations; the spread of disease and prevention. We also covered water treatment methods, environmental hygiene, hygiene promotion, and many others. Since we were near the spring, we could run through hands-on management and maintenance demonstrations.

We spent an entire session on hand-washing and its importance. When, how, and why should one wash their hands? We also taught participants how to construct their own hand-washing stations with local and affordable materials.

Mr. Jerad Shiundu was elected to be the chairman of the water committee for Amboka Spring. He said, "We are very thankful to the WEWASAFO team, who took their time to teach us proper hand-washing skills. We are grateful because you allowed our children who are on school holiday to attend training. We are assured that we are going to live healthy lives from now on."

Mr. Jerad Shiundu

Project Result: Sanitation Platforms

All five sanitation platforms have been installed and are ready for use. These five families are happy about this milestone and are optimistic that there will be much less open defecation. People without proper latrines would often use the privacy of bushes, but now have a private place of their own. It is expected that proper use of latrine facilities provided by the sanitation platforms will go a long way in reducing environmental pollution here. We are continuing to encourage families to finish building walls and roofs over their new latrine floors.

Project Result: Spring Protection

Community members provided all locally available construction materials, e.g bricks, wheelbarrows of clean sand, wheelbarrows of ballast, fencing poles and hard core (crushed rock and gravel). Accommodation and food for the artisan were provided, and we asked a few people to volunteer their time and strength to help the artisan with manual labor.

The spring area was excavated to create space for setting the foundation of polyethylene, wire mesh and concrete. After the base had been set, both wing walls and the headwall were set in place using brickwork. The discharge pipe was fixed low in place through the head wall to direct the water from the reservoir to the drawing area.

As the wing walls and head wall were curing, the stairs were set and the tiles were fixed directly below the discharge pipe. This reduces the erosive force of the falling water and beautifies the spring. The process of plastering the head wall and wing walls on both sides reinforces the brickwork and prevents water from the reservoir from seeping through the walls and allows pressure to build in the collection box to push water up through the discharge pipe.

Lastly, the base of the spring was plastered and the collection box was cleaned. The source area was filled up with clean hardcore and covered with a polyethylene membrane to eliminate any potential sources of contamination.

The only challenge that the artisans met was... a snake. One day, the men heard a rustling in the trees and to their shock, a huge snake came slithering out. They were startled and didn't want to continue their work. After talking with community members, our artisan found out that the snake is really someone's pet that they feed and take care of. However, it's been terrorizing community members to the point they don't want to draw water from the spring. The men decided to brave up and kill the snake the next day. When a certain man who claimed to be the snake's owner found out, he was furious. But the rest of the community was both grateful and relieved to be rid of it. Women and children will no longer be filled with fear when fetching water!

All this has transformed Amboka Spring into a flowing, clean water source. People arrived right away to fetch their first jerrycans of that clean water. 65-year-old Pasiliano Amboka said, "We thank God for leading you to us so that you can protect our spring. We know that from now on, we will be drinking clean water and our health will improve."




December, 2017: Shikoti Community Project Underway

Shikoti Community will soon have a clean, safe source of water thanks to your donation. Community members have been drinking contaminated water from Amboka Spring, and often suffer physical illnesses after doing so. Our partner conducted a survey of the area and deemed it necessary to protect the spring, build new sanitation platforms (safe, easy-to-clean concrete floors for latrines), and conduct sanitation and hygiene training. Thanks to your generosity, waterborne disease will no longer be a challenge for the families drinking the spring’s water. We look forward to sharing more details with you as they come! But for now, please take some time to check out the report containing community information, pictures, and maps.




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: Shikoti Community, Amboka Spring

December, 2018

“We no longer run in and out of hospitals with our kids because they fall sick less often.” – Bassiliano Amboka

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Shikoti Community 3.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Shikoti Community 3 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!

A year ago, your generous donation enabled us to protect Amboka Apring for Shikoti Community in Kenya. The contributions of incredible monthly donors and others giving directly to The Water Promise allow our local teams to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the water project over time. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – and we’re excited to share this one from local team member Joan Were with you.

People in Shikoti are enjoying good health thanks to the protection of Amboka Spring and the accompanying hygiene education that was conducted for the community last year. We recently spoke with people at the spring and they report that diarrhea cases have decreased in children below five.

"We are very grateful and appreciative because you have brought us clean water," said Bassiliano Amboka, the owner of the land where the spring is located.

Bassiliano Amboka

Mothers we spoke with said their infants are healthier. With health children, these mothers can spend more of their time engaging in economic activities.

"We no longer run in and out of hospitals with our kids because they fall sick less often," Mr. Amboka said.

Protection of the spring is only one step along the journey toward sustainable access to clean water. The Water Project is committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by donors like you, allows us to maintain our relationships with communities by visiting up to 4 times each year to ensure that the water points are safe and reliable.

This is just one of the many ways that we monitor projects and communicate with you. Additionally, you can always check the functionality status and our project map to see how all of our water points are performing, based on our consistent monitoring data.

One project is just a drop in the bucket towards ending the global water crisis, but the ripple effects of this project are truly astounding. This project in Shikoti is changing many lives.

"I am now drinking clean water from a protected spring unlike before when we would fetch contaminated water from a trench. The occurrence of waterborne diseases has really reduced in our family and the community at large," said Bridgit Shiundu, a 12-year-old student.

Bridgit Shiundu, her family, and field officer Joan Were

This is only possible because of the web of support and trust built between The Water Project, our local teams, the community, and you. We are excited to stay in touch with this community and support their journey with safe water.

Read more about The Water Promise and how you can help.

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 Shikoti Community 3 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 Shikoti Community 3 – 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

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