Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Regional Program: Western Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Nov 2016

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 02/19/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

This project is a part of our shared program with Safe Water and Sustainable Hygiene Initiative (SAWASHI). Our team is pleased to directly share the below report (edited for clarity, as needed).

Welcome to the School

Nguvuli Primary School is located in the center of Nguvuli Community. It is sponsored by the Friends Church Quakers. Most of the 700 students are local, so they can walk to school each day. (Editor's Note: While this many students may have access on any given day, realistically a single water source can only support a population of 350-500 people.  This school would be a good candidate for a second project in the future so that adequate water is available. To learn more, click here.)

In 1989, the Kenya Finland Company drilled a borehole within the school compound because they noticed the students and staff had to leave in search of water. The neighboring community didn't have a water source either, and so both school and the community found relief in a new source of water nearby. This borehole served the people in this area for several years, but unfortunately was recently vandalized. Now, the pump is missing and the locals have been forced to return to other sources of water.

Water Situation

By the time the borehole was vandalized, people in the area had a few other water sources. One is a small rainwater catchment tank installed next to one of the school classrooms, restricted for school use only. The other source is a hand-dug well that is accessed by a hatch. This water source has no pump, so a bucket is lowered with a rope. As the pictures show, one of these buckets has already fallen into the well and contaminated the water. Since the well's water is not protected by a complete well pad and cover, it is open to contamination from many different sources.

The catchment tank is not an adequate source of water for 700 students, and the unprotected well is not a safe source. With a rehabilitated borehole, students, staff and the community will once again have an ideal, clean source of water.

We also observed that the containers people use to fetch water are not clean. These dirty containers further contaminate water intended for drinking. Because of the problems described above, locals often suffer from waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera, and students are often out of school because of these illnesses.

Sanitation Situation

The sanitation facilities on school grounds are in decent condition. There are 18 pit latrines that all have doors, and are all cleaned on a daily basis. The school also has a garbage pit out back, and dish racks for the children to dry their utensils.

The issue here is the lack of hand-washing stations. Clean latrines make no difference if students are using the bathroom but not washing hands. There has been poor academic performance at Nguvuli Primary School because of both waterborne disease and communicable disease, the latter of which can be prevented with proper hand-washing. Teacher Maggy Mbone, whose picture is in the "See Photos & Video" section, told us that "the school lack hand-washing point. Hence, often outbreak of diarrhea and typhoid diseases in the school, making most students to be absent. This has led to poor performance."

Plans: Hygiene and Sanitation Training

Teachers and students will be trained for two days at the school compound. The facilitator will use the CHAST (Children’s Hygiene and Sanitation Training) method to help students discern between good and bad hygiene habits. Students will be taught how disease is spread at home and at school, and how to prevent this. An entire session will be devoted to teaching students when to wash hands and how to do it properly. Students and staff need to be aware of how dirty hands are spreading illness.

Plans: Hand-Washing Stations

Two hand-washing stations will be delivered to the school so that students can wash their hands after using the latrine and before eating. The school will make sure that these are filled with water and that a cleaning agent is always available.

Plans: Well Rehabilitation

We plan to rehabilitate the well drilled by Kenya Finland Company in 1989. That well served both the school and community many years until it was vandalized. It has always had adequate water, even through the drier seasons. We measured the total depth to be 47 meters with a static water level of 15 meters.

The rehabilitation process will include material collection, pad reconstruction, flushing, test pumping, water quality testing, water treatment, and then pump installation. The new pump will be an AfriDev, since it is easy for student to use and parts for repair are easily acquired. Special care will be taken with well pad construction to make sure that there is no flooding. If stagnant water collects on the well pad, contamination can find its way through to the drinking water.

By the end of training and project implementation, Nguvuli Primary School will have a strong water user committee made up of parents and teachers who will oversee and maintain the rehabilitated well. They have a heart to ensure the well continues to serve generations to come. Without clean water and good health, education cannot be a priority.

Project Updates


November, 2017: A Year Later: Nguvuli Primary School

A year ago, generous donors helped rehabilitate a well for Nguvuli Primary School in Kenya. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories – we’re excited to share this one with you.




Project Photos


Project Type

Hand-dug wells have been an important source of water throughout human history! Now, we have so many different types of water sources, but hand-dug wells still have their place. Hand dug wells are not as deep as borehole wells, and work best in areas where there is a ready supply of water just under the surface of the ground, such as next to a mature sand dam. Our artisans dig down through the layers of the ground and then line the hole with bricks, stone, or concrete, which prevent contamination and collapse. Then, back up at surface level, we install a well platform and a hand pump so people can draw up the water easily.


A Year Later: Nguvuli Primary School

October, 2017

“I have enough time to read and do my studies since I no longer have to struggle with the rope and the bucket.”

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Nguvuli Primary School.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Nguvuli Primary School 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, generous donors helped rehabilitate a well for Nguvuli Primary School in Kenya. Because of these gifts and our monthly donors, partners are able to visit project sites throughout the year, strengthening relationships with communities and evaluating the actual water project. These consistent visits allow us to learn vital lessons and hear amazing stories - we're excited to share this one with you.

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"I have enough time to read and do my studies since I no longer have to struggle with the rope and the bucket. I have drinking water closer to me." These words from 15 year old student Kataka Mildred are music to any teacher’s ears! The students at Nguvuli Primary School are excited to have more time to devote to their studies, thanks to a close source of safe, clean water.

4540 YAR 2
WASH officer Paul Weringa recently had the chance to visit Nguvuli to check up on the water source and see what changes a year of safe water can bring. "The academic and co-curriculum performance of this school has improved over the past one year because of the rehabilitation of the water project in the school. Initially, the pupils would spend a lot of time out of the school pulling water from the open well. This affected the pupils since they could not recover the time wasted for their studies. Today, the school is able to host other schools for games and other activities and this has an advantage for the school."

4540 YAR 3
School treasurer Ruth Williams noted three significant improvements since the rehabilitation of the well. "Our pupils have enough time for doing their studies. Unlike the other years, the pupils take the shortest time to access water for drinking. The well has played a major role in improving the hygiene and sanitation of the school. We do not have more pupils being admitted to hospitals because of the outbreak of the waterborne diseases. The well has improved the relationship between the school and the community. Sharing the same source has helped the community members to relate and associate themselves with the activities run in school." Not only does this well improve the studies and health of the students, it also strengthens the community as everyone rallies around this critical resource.

4540 YAR 4

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The Water Project and our partners are committed to consistent monitoring of each water source. Our monitoring and evaluation program, made possible by monthly donors, allows us to visit communities up to 4 times a year. Read more about our program 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 Nguvuli Primary School 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 Nguvuli Primary School – 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

Jackson Franks Fundraising Campaign
Long Meadow Elementary School PTO
First Christian Church
Spotlight: Girls
New Hope Baptist Church