This project is part of Bridge Water Project's program in Western Kenya. What follows is direct from them (edited for clarity):
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Musaga primary is a public day mixed primary school that was started in the year 1952 under the sponsorship of Friends Church (Quakers) to eradicate illiteracy in Musaga community and its neighboring communities.
Through the efforts of the Kenya Finland company, the school was provided with a drilled well in the year 1987. Since its inception, the well was installed with an Indian Mark II pump, which served the school and the community until the year 2000. The 1inch galvanized rising main pipe rusted to the point that it could not enable water to flow out. The mild steel rods that eroded have also cause the water to turn off color.
The well became unuseful since the pump system was not in good working condition. In November 2011, the school management made an appeal to Canadian Education Aid Agencies requesting them to repair the pump. The request was granted and contracted out to a community member who was not adequately trained to do the rehab. Hence, the pump functioned for only 3 months and has not worked since.
The Musaga Primary School management learned of Bridge Water Project development activities in water sector and made an appeal to Bridge Water Project to consider rehabilitating their school water point by replacing the old worn out Mark II Pump by a new stainless steel Affridev Pump to bring back the well into use.
CURRENT WATER SOURCE
Currently pupils are assigned to carry water in small containers from their homes whenever they come to school. The water quality cannot be guaranteed because it is brought from various sources and it is not clear if it was collected hygienically. During the Bridge Water Project visitation to the school, they interacted with the teacher who was on duty, who stated that some pupils who do not like fetching water and consider it as a punishment often fetch water from stagnant points because it is closer and easier to collect. Again, this is hazardous to all in the school.
Since the school has no other option, the pupils and teachers are forced to use the water, which is not treated in any way. And as a result of lack of reliable clean water supply there are many cases of both teachers pupils missing school and being unable to perform their duties, such as studying and teaching, due to various waterborne diseases.
POPULATION
The school records an enrolment of 345 girls, 298 boys with 16 teachers and 2 subordinate staff. Approximately 642 people. (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
The school has several permanent classrooms which are washed once per week (Fridays) before pupils leave school for a weekend and this is a routine activity which is always done during games time. There is a school kitchen where meals are prepared for the teachers with a dish rack outside. The kitchen has water storage facilities which are not well kept.
The school has 12 pit latrines, 4 for the boys, 6 for the girls and 2 for the teachers which are washed every morning during manual labour period. No hand washing station outside the toilets were seen.
There is one handwashng station in school that is only for teachers.
The school needs to undergo training on good practices of hygiene and sanitation so as to save the situation in the school, and this will have a great impact on behavior change and attitude.
ACCESSING THE NEED
There is need to rehabilitate the proposed Musaga Primary School Water Project by installing a new stainless steel Affridev Pump. With a reliable water point in school, it will improve sanitation and hygiene status in school hence improving their health and academic performance.
PROJECT BENEFICIARIES
If Musaga Primary School Well is rehabilitated, Pupils, teachers and the entire communities will be the beneficiaries.
WATER COMMITTEE
The school Management Committee has already appointed amongst themselves a water committee that will take charge of the operational and maintenance of the water point to ensure its sustainability. Bridge Water Project staff will train the pupils and teachers on hygiene and sanitation before implementing the proposed project.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
HYGIENE AND SANITATION TRAINING
Right from the entrance gate of Musaga primary school, the green vegetation would really make one admire it. The cleanness of the school compound would even suggest that the pupils and teachers had all the knowledge concerning hygiene and sanitation put in practice.
But as the outward appearance of the school would suggest a better hygiene and sanitation in the school, the health condition of the pupils will quickly reveal the need to hold a hygiene and sanitation training for both teachers and pupils.
Cracked skin (skin diseases), emaciated bodies, torn and dirty school uniforms, long nails and bad smell is what you could see and smell as you entered every classroom.
Cases of diarrheal diseases have become a common routine in this school. This affects mostly the lower primary pupils of the age of 5 years to 10 years. Even though most pupils do not understand the real course of diarrheal diseases, lack of hand washing stations in place and proper knowledge on the aspects of good hygiene and sanitation, play a big role.
Boys and girls walk bare foot to their latrines and urinal pit. This is because most of them come from poor families where by their parents cannot afford to buy a pair of shoe for their children. This poses a threat to the pupils since most of them have contracted diseases like Bilharzias.
To pupils who have been affected with jiggers, walking bare foot in the latrines and urinal pit adds more pain to their experience hence more infections take place.
A radical training was done to pupils and teachers with an aim of addressing more problems of hygiene and sanitation that occur in this school.
Some of the topics that were tackled 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.
At the end of the whole session of the training, the pupils had a clear picture of what should be done to change the current situation of hygiene and sanitation to a better hygiene and sanitation that would lead to a healthy life, hence a conducive environment for learning.
Monitoring will be done to ensure that all having been taught is seriously put into practice.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE WELL PAD
After the hygiene and sanitation team facilitated the training, the Bridge water project service team mobilized to the school for the construction of the well pad.
Pupils and teachers were excited to see the process begin as part of the implementation of the project. The head teacher, Mr.Wafula, assigned the pupils to help in providing human labor. Girls fetch water for construction as Boys helped in mixing of the concrete. This was only meant to create a sense of ownership among the pupils and teachers.
The men begun the work by hacking the old portions of the concrete slab. This took an approximate time of two hours. A fresh concrete was applied and thorough cement work done. The well pad was then left to cure.
A breakfast and lunch time meal was prepared by the school for the construction team.
The well pad is expected to cure after three to four days.
WELL FLUSHING, PUMP INSTALLATION AND HANDING OVER
After the well pad of Musaga primary school had cured, the team mobilized to the site for flushing. This is an activity that is meant to clean the well by flushing out all the dirty water from the well. An air compressor was used to do the work. The flushing activity took a maximum time of 5 hours.
During this activity, more solid particles including stones, maize cobs, nails and sticks were flushed out. A lot of turbid water was flushed out and thereafter clean water recharged into the well.
After flushing, a new affridev pump was installed to the well. This process was successfully done. It was amazing to see clean water flowing out of this well after a very long period of time since it was vandalized.
Immediately the well was complete, the school could not wait to receive it and start enjoying its services. The faces of both the teachers and pupils were overwhelmed with joy and happiness. The school head teacher was so glad and he anticipates an improvement in both academic performance and health of the pupils.
The class eights of this school consider themselves lucky to be part of this project since they will now have time to concentrate in their studies as they prepare for their final examinations come end of this year.
As an organization, we greatly anticipate for a positive behavioral change towards good hygiene and sanitation of the pupils and teachers.
Being part of the impacts of the rehabilitated project, we also anticipate for good performances in the school academics and curriculum activities.
THANKS TO THE WATER PROJECT
