Our newest partnership is bringing water to the Inkisanjani community later this year! Let’s learn more about St. Philip’s Lutheran Church, the Inkisanjani water project, and the progress that’s already been made.
Where it All Began
Our relationship with St. Philip’s Lutheran Church is not a new one. In fact, Water is Life Kenya‘s (WILK’s) Aaron Lemma gave a presentation at St. Philip’s after the November 14th Sunday mass. He discussed the importance of water in semiarid Kenya and how we at WILK find ways to bring water to communities that need it.
In February, St. Philip’s contacted us to learn more about how they could get involved in a water project. Once the details were ironed out, the St. Philip’s community got to work. They completed fundraising for this project within three months, which meant that we could start planning for a borehole with the Inkisanjani community immediately. We’re amazed by the hard work and dedication of the St. Philip’s congregation, and we’re so proud to work together with them on this water project.
More About Inkisanjani
As with all of our water projects, we performed a needs assessment and consulted with the Inkisanjani community about its investment in a borehole. The location chosen is near the Inkisanjani Primary School and St. Luke’s Secondary School, but the local Inkisanjani community would also benefit from having accessible water nearby.
The situation for this community is a sad one. There is only a non-functioning borehole there right now, and a truck delivers pipe water from Nolturesh twice a month. The holding tank has never been cleaned, so people who use the water get sick. Overall, the need for clean water is urgent.
There are also over 1,000 students attending the two schools. The size of the community, along with unsanitary water conditions, showed us how desperate Inkisanjani is for clean water. Because of our partnership with St. Philip’s, we can help everyone in Inkisanjani improve their health and well-being with access to a functioning borehole.
So Far, So Good
In July, we met with community leaders to assess Inkisanjani’s water situation, and in August we performed a hydrogeological survey to determine where to dig the borehole. After the community files as a Self-help Group and submits paperwork for digging permits, the hard work can begin. The plan is to start drilling in the fall then test the borehole yield and water quality before construction starts.
But the work won’t be isolated in Kenya. In September, we’ll meet again with the St. Philip’s community to answer more questions about the Inkisanjani project and update them on the progress of the borehole. We hope to connect St. Philip’s with the Inkisanjani community as much as possible before they visit Kenya for the borehole Handover Ceremony in 2025.
Clean Water Makes All the Difference
WILK has completed more than 30 water projects over the last 17 years. We have a success rate of 85% because of our investments in Kenyan communities. Clean water lessens the burden on women who collect it, gives girls a chance to go to school, and improves health across the board.
We also have a long list of partners who have helped us bring water to over 90,000 Kenyans. We’re proud to include St. Philip’s on this list, especially because of the commitment we’ve seen from this congregation. We can’t help as many people as we do without these partners, and we couldn’t get started on the Inkisanjani water project as quickly as we did without St. Philip’s.
