BRINGING WATER TO THOSE MOST IN NEED
Tackling water poverty in one of Nairobi’s most-forgotten slums
Kenya is suffering from a water crisis and those most affected are the women and children. The lack of water presents such a terrible cycle of illness, lack of education for children and future unemployment. On average women and young girls walk up to 6 kms a day for water. This means they’re not attending school or working to provide for their families. A family needs at minimum 40 litres a day to drink, clean and cook for their household. WATER PROJECT KENYA provides slums and schools with a 20K- litre water tank that can be refilled weekly or when needed by local water companies. These tanks are installed and built with the intention of being a sustainable and long-lasting business for them.
Necessity
Access to clean, affordable water for the communities in and around the Athi River
Activity
Water Project Kenya will provide 20-30K-litre water tanks to these communities.
Countable effort
This will provide access to clean, affordable water to those most in need-women and children.
Result
From these water tanks every household in the community will be having 40 litres of clean water every day.
Systemic effect
Providing not only water but a long-lasting and sustainable income earning opportunity for the women in the community.
Background
WATER PROJECT KENYA is focusing on the slums in and around the Athi River area, Machakos District some 25 km south east of Nairobi. These communities are hard hit by HIV, severe overcrowding and poor living conditions with very little access to clean water. Many times, they resort to the streams surrounding them which contain overflow of chemicals and waste from local factories. The elders and women are most affected by this as they’re responsible for the family and household. Some of the elders will be responsible for not only their own children but their grand-children and other orphaned children.
The good deed
WATER PROJECT KENYA’s goal is to provide access to clean and affordable water but we also aim to provide an on-going sustainable business for these communities. We have a dedicated group of women from the area to manage the tank, these women will run and keep the tap open and manage the sale of the water. From these funds raised, the women will take home a small amount for their work as well as deposit the remaining into a community bank account. Over the course of 6 months from the saved amount of money, the community has purchased a small piece of farmland. They have begun to grow vegetables and corn which they are now selling to locals in the surrounding area. This has not only provided food on their plates but also a sense of togetherness and hope for the future that they did not have before. Water Project Kenya calls this the ripple effect.
About Machakos District, Athi River, Kenya
Capital of Kenya
Nairobi
Kenya’s population
55,1 million (2023)
1,4 million in Machakos District (2019)
GDP per capita
7,712 CAD$
ranking 140th of 186 countries
HDI 0,575
ranking 152nd of 191 countries
With a population of 55 million, about 28 million Kenyans lack access to safe water and 41 million lack access to improved sanitation.
About the organization and further information
Water Project Kenya
Website
https://www.waterprojectkenya.com/
