The Maasai People Say
"Enkare Enkishui"
which means
"Water is Life"
Our vision is to develop and enhance a thriving ecosystem in Kenya, integrating its unique collection of ethnicities, nature, and wildlife riches.
Based in Newark, DE and operating in Kenya, for 17 years our small but 501(c)3 nonprofit has brought clean water to over 90,000 people and increased incomes for thousands of Maasai in southern Kenya.
We help Kenyans bloom through the following programs:
- Clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) Projects
- Income Generation Programs, including
- Livestock as a Business (LAB) Program
- Hope for Widows Program
- Beaded Handicrafts Program
Today is a great day to get involved. Whether you’d like to donate to Water is Life Kenya, start a fundraiser, volunteer, or invite us to speak, there are many ways to can support our mission.
Over the years, we’ve developed a comprehensive strategy to support holistic community development in Kenya. With an 85% water project success rate and income-generating programs that transform the whole person, we vow to be trustworthy stewards of your gifts to us.
OUR MISSION
Why We're Here
Water is Life Kenya is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to spark personal, economic, and community development in marginalized communities in Kenya, according to existing customs and culture. We do this by providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, empowering women, and equipping people to develop income through improved resource management.
Learn more about WILK by reading our Founding Story >
OUR METHOD
Hope Through Local Empowerment
For the Maasai communities we serve, sustainable transformation comes through engaged learning. We don’t just unlock resources–we teach communities how to manage their resources for the long run.
Our training methodology is used to educate Water Management Committees at every water project, livestock keeping groups in the LAB program, and widows in the Hope for Widows program.
Our trainings:
- Engage all the senses, encouraging dynamic community participation.
- Respect the people, culture, and long history of the Maasai while introducing new concepts for water, livestock, and business management
- Raise up women in a male-dominated society, empowering them with the skills and confidence they need to be strong leaders.
OUR BLOG
Perspectives
Subscribe to WILK Wednesday,
our Biweekly Newsletter
WATER IS LIFE
This is what our generous donors have made possible, time & time again.
BY THE NUMBERS
Be a part of real change.
Water Begets Transformation
It begins when a community approaches us & requests a water project. After mobilizing local leadership & getting buy-in from all members of the community, we follow the necessary steps of brining water to the community. Once the project is complete, women & girls save on average 6-8 hours by not having to carry water. This liberates them, allowing them to start businesses, go to school, & be more involved in their neighborhood. Then comes our other programs, all of which work to build communal support & increase income, thereby improving livelihoods from the ground up.
On the Foothills of Kilimanjaro
The semi-nomadic Maasai people have resided in the modern regions of Kenya and Tanzania for thousands of years. Living close to the land as livestock herders, they have become a part of the environment, stewarding land as a result of how they live. As the world modernized, the Maasai were confined to reservations where resources, including water, were scarce. Lines were drawn around their tribal lands and they were forced to change with the world. But the Maasai are resilient. Holding strong to their cultural values, beliefs, and customs, they have adapted at a steady pace. We are here to make sure they are not left behind. Empowered in a new age of development, our Kenyan friends are stepping into the future more prepared, communities emboldened with love and water.
We have so much to learn from the Maasai. Supporting Water is Life Kenya is supporting the Maasai, and supporting the Maasai is supporting the traditions of the motherland from which we all come, the birthplace of us all. Africa. Home of land and people we must never forget.
