This project is part of Bridge Water Project's program in Western Kenya. What follows is direct from them (edited for clarity):
BACKGROUND
Samitsi Primary School is a mixed day primary school started in the year 1948 by the sponsorship of Friends Church (Quakers) with an aim of eradicating illiteracy in the community where it serves. The school benefitted with a drilled well that was developed by Kenya Finland Company in 1989. The well records a total depth of 37M with the water rest level 14M (RSL) well was cased with 4” UPVC casing well pad constructed and NIRA pump was installed which served the school up to 2013 when it broke down. Since the Nira pumps’ spares not available in the market the school was unable to repair the well. Having heard that Bridge Water Projects is rehabilitating the wells in Navakholo Sub County, the head teacher of the school wrote an application letter requested for the rehabilitation of their well to enable them access clean water.
CURRENT WATER SOURCE
The school currently fetches water from a spring, which is 3km away from the school. And this makes the pupils to waste a lot of time walking long distance looking for water.
POPULATION
The school has a population of 1150 pupils, 621 boys and 529 girls, 15 teaching staff and 4 non-teaching staff.
(Editor's Note: While this many people may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people. This community would be a good candidate for a second project in the future so adequate water is available. To learn more, click here.)
HYGIENE & SANITATION
Samitsi Primary School has permanent classrooms with plastered floor; which is cleaned twice per week. There are 18 pit latrines 8 for boys, 8 for girls and 2 for teachers’, which are cleaned twice a week. There’s a kitchen where meals are prepared for class 6 to 7 pupils and teachers and there is rack for drying the utensils after use. There are 2 compost pits where litters are collected and dumped. There’s no hand washing station for the pupils and teachers.
ACCESSING THE NEED
There’s need to rehabilitate the proposed Samitsi Primary school well to relieve burden of pupils walking for a long distances looking for water. Access of clean water will improve the academic status in Samitsi Primary School; No time will be wasted in going to fetch water. The hygiene and sanitation status of Samitsi pupils and teachers will be improved.
PROJECT BENEFICIARIES
If the well is rehabilitated the immediate beneficiaries will be Samitsi Primary school pupils, teachers and the entire community.
WATER COMMITTEE
The school management committee will be responsible for operation maintenance and management of the water point to ensure its sustainability.
PHASE one (18th may-22th may) HYGIENE AND SANITATION TRAINING
Samitsi primary is a school with both boys and girls. The school’s performance is at average and is greatly affected with the poor hygiene and sanitation conditions. Most pupils, both boys and girls, walk bare foot, have torn and dirty uniforms.
The school has few latrines, which do not march the ratio between boys and girls. No hand washing is done in the school. Due to these conditions, there has been a high occurrence of typhoid and diarrheal diseases among the pupils.
To help address these problems, the school was trained on several aspects of good practices of hygiene and sanitation. The aspects include;
a) Hand washing.
b) Fetching and drinking clean water.
c) Use of latrine; importance and risks of using a latrine.
d) The clean school and its environment.
e) Germ free food.
f) How to prevent diarrhea.
g) Personal hygiene.
Because of the training, the school’s health club and the management of the school had to ensure;
i. Use and maintenance of all the latrines in school. By proper maintenance, the latrines will be clean, locked, clear path to the latrine and no presence of flies and smell.
ii. Proper hand washing after visiting latrines and before eating; availability of hand washing facility, soap, and water.
iii. Good personal hygiene of pupils in the school by helping the pupils have clean clothes, trimmed fingernails, short and neat hair, clean face and body and clean handkerchiefs.
iv. Maintaining cleanness of the school compound and the classrooms. This will be made possible by making duty rosters, regular observations, and availability of cleaning materials.
v. Organize school hygiene and sanitation events; these are to be done through a programme of hygiene events (interclass competitions, hand-washing days).
PHASE 2: (25th may-29th) PAD CONSTRUCTION
The bridge water project construction team mobilized to the site in preparation for the construction of the well pad. The pupils and teachers were present and were ready to help where possible.
Being a rain season, the workers had no otherwise but to ensure that the work was well done and completed.
The school prepared meals for the men on work.
The work was well done and the pad was left to cure for four days there after the pump was installed.
PHASE 3: (1st june-5th June) PUMP INSTALLATION AND HANDING OVER
The service team mobilized to samitsi primary school for pump installation. The school, at this time had hosted other schools for games and therefore it was important to install the pump and finally hand it over.
The pump installation process was done successfully without any challenges. Once the process was over, the well was handed over to the school pupils and teachers who were excited and happy.
The rehabilitation of the well was a reason for their happiness since more problems that come as a result of drinking dirty water had come to an end. In addition, the head teacher anticipated for good academic and curriculum results since the pupils will no longer waste time in search of good and clean water.
The existence of the rehabilitated well is also anticipated to bring a positive impact on the hygiene and sanitation condition of this school.
