New Project Alert: Wells for Schools - Kenya

Type: Water Well & Water Tank

  Well: 60ft deep
  Water Tank: over 100,000 litres

Beneficiaries: over 2,000 people (240 students, 11 staff households and the surrounding community)

Location: ABC Makivenzi Girls Secondary School is located near Matuu town in Yatta Division, Machakos District in the Eastern Province of Kenya. It is 80 kms North-East of Machakos town.

Total Cost: $14,000 plus the local community's contribution.

Sponsors: Private individual (matching grant), TheWaterProject.org contributors & the StandingStrong Youth.

Status:Completed (pending well hand-pump)

Project Description:
The Makivenzi Girl's Secondary school provides educational opportunities for over 240 young women. Secondary school education is an essential path to future development for girls because:

• Girls generally have less opportunity than boys for secondary school education.
• Secondary school delays the age of marriage.
• Girls with secondary school education have a greater knowledge of HIV/AIDS and a lower infection rate.
• Secondary school education usually means a higher family income and a lower birth rate.

Current Situation:
The school, like the whole area, is experiencing scarcity of water. The area falls under the Arid and Semi-arid Area (ASAL) and has been experiencing drought for years. As such, each student is given a ration of 5 litres of water every two days for drinking, washing clothes and bathing. The World Health Organization minimum standard for water is 20 liters a day. What little water exists is supplied by the Yatta Furrow more than six kilometers from the school. The lack of water in the school and homes has led to a continuing problem of student dropouts.

This project now benefits the school as well as over 2,000 people from the community surrounding it. We are very pleased to be able to fund a project of this magnitude. The response from our partners, like you, has been overwhelming. The potential impact for this community is enormous.

As with any project we undertake, sustainability (will it last over time?) is a key part of our planning. Water wells can require more maintenance and management, so utilizing a network of local community volunteers and leaders in place at our project sites will prove essential. The well and water tank combine to create a long-term, comprehensive solution for this site.

Previous Updates:
August 2007
September 2007
December 2007

You can get involved in a project like this right now!

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