Rehabilitation Project
The 250 community members living in Kihara rely on shallow-dug wells in surrounding communities to meet their daily water needs, but they are all far away.
The nearest water source is over a mile away and only offers contaminated water, leaving people with frequent stomach upsets and episodes of diarrhea and typhoid. But without other viable options, people have no choice but to consume it, knowing it may make them ill.
“Water scarcity limits access to safe water for drinking and for practicing basic hygiene at home, in schools, and in health-care facilities.” - UNICEF
Eight-year-old Isaiah (seen below at the faraway well) faces water scarcity every day since he lives with his grandparents and is responsible to collect water for everyone. It is a significant burden for a young boy.
"The waterpoint is very far, and I always find many people [there], hence [the] delay at the waterpoint. I am unable to fetch enough water for the entire household," said Isaiah.
When he is unable to collect sufficient water, he cannot bathe or wash his school uniforms, so he can't go to school because the teachers would send him home for being dirty. Sadly, Isaiah misses school often due to the water scarcity, and even at his young age, this is already affecting his grades.
58-year-old housewife Magyara Evas, shown below carrying water, shared that, like Isaiah, her children also fetch water in the evening when they come home from school.
"The children pass on a very busy road where big sugarcane vehicles pass and their drivers overspeed. This puts them at risk of accidents," said Magyara.
Magyara's children also have to wait in long lines, and by the time they return home, they are so tired, they just bathe and go to sleep. Their homework is neglected, and their school performances suffer.
When the children are unable to make it home in time to collect water, some families buy water from vendors, but this is an expense most cannot afford.
"We are in a dire need of a deep borehole located in a central place where all people can access it so that we can secure safe drinking water," concluded Magyara.
With a well of their own, the people living in Kihara should regain their valuable time, especially the children.
Here’s what we’re going to do about it:
New Borehole
This new borehole is an exciting opportunity for this community! We work with the community to determine the best possible sites for this well.
We conducted a hydrogeological survey and the results indicated the water table is an ideal candidate for a borehole well. Due to a borehole well's unique ability to tap into a safe, year-round water column, it will be poised to serve all of the water needs for this community, even through the dry months.
Community members will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, rocks, and water for mixing cement. They will also provide housing and meals for the work team, in addition to providing local laborers. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans and drilling professionals, tools, hardware, and the hand-pump. Once finished, water from the well will then be used by community members for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.
Training
Training’s main objectives are the use of latrines and observing proper hygiene practices since these goals are inherently connected to the provision of clean water. Open defecation, water storage in unclean containers and the absence of hand-washing are all possible contaminants of a household water supply. Each participating village must achieve Open Defecation Free status (defined by one latrine per household) prior to the pump installation for this borehole well.
This social program includes the assignment of one Community Development Officer (CDO) to each village. The CDO encourages each household to build an ideal homestead that includes: a latrine, a handwashing facility, a separate structure for animals, a rubbish pit and a drying rack for dishes.
We also implement the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach with each of our village partners. This aims to improve the sanitation and hygiene practices and behaviors of a village. During these sessions, village leaders naturally emerge and push the community to realize that the current practices of individual households – particularly the practice of open defecation – are not only unhealthy, but affect the entire village. CLTS facilitates a process in which community members realize the negative consequences of their current water, sanitation and hygiene behaviors and are inspired to take action. Group interactions are frequent motivators for individual households to build latrines, use them, and demand that other households do the same.
Improved Sanitation
The aim is that all households own an improved latrine. Many households do not use a latrine but use the bush. Due to open defecation, feces are spread all over the village. This leads to waterborne diseases and contamination of groundwater and surface water. Our aim is that the community is able to live a healthy life free of preventable diseases. We endeavor that at the end of our presence in the community, people will have both access to sustainable, clean water and access to sanitation. We have now organized families to form digging groups for latrine construction, and empowered them with tools to use.
