Who We Are
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Maasai people of Kenya say: Enkare Enkishui, Water is Life. Without water, families suffer, livestock die, and life all-too-often ends. That’s why Water is Life Kenya (WILK), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Delaware, exists — to spark personal, economic, and community development in marginalized communities in Kenya, according to existing customs and culture, by providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, empowering women, and equipping people to develop income by managing their resources.
We operate according to these impactful and empowering guiding principles:
- Love your neighbor as yourself
- Don’t do for others what they can do for themselves
- Involve the community at every phase of the project
- Real lasting change will occur when people recognize the reality around them
and their ability, with others, to change it.
We work with Maasai communities in southern Kenya, specifically Kajiado County. Thus far, we have completed brought clean water and economic growth to 35 communities, impacting tens of thousands of men, women and children.
You can learn more about where we work and how we connect with local communities here.
The day-to-day reality of the communities we serve is often dire, and their challenges are primarily caused by a drought-prone climate and lack of sustainable access to clean
water, exacerbated by climate change.
People fight water-borne diseases, women and girls walk six or more hours every day to find water to survive, children are so thirsty they can hardly participate in education,
and men despair because their cattle are dying.
Average Water Conditions in southern Kenya:
- Average distance to water: 4 miles
- Average rainfall: 15 inches/year
- Average time spent fetching water: 4 hours a day per family
- Diseases caused by fouled water: Diarrhea, Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery
- Percentage of households in rural villages with no toilet or latrine: 92%
- Livestock losses during periods of drought (such as 2010, 2017, and 2022)
- e.g. Up to 80% of the total cattle herd died in 2009-2010
But there is hope thanks to the—literally—groundbreaking work WILK has accomplished
since 2007 to bring clean, accessible, sustainable water to drought-prone, rural communities. You can learn more here.
WILK’s co-founder and Executive Director, Joyce Tannian, was exposed firsthand to the devastation of drought in southern Kenya in 2006. It was during this time she also first heard the phrase, Water is Life. She could see clearly how true this was for the people of Kenya and she returned home determined to do something. Water is Life Kenya was born.
Joseph Larasha, WILK’s Co-Founder and Project Manager, is a Maasai elder in Southern Kenya. He has a deep commitment to his community and works hard to ensure that water is just the beginning.
Read more about Joyce and Joseph’s powerful stories, including links to their TED Talks, here.
We take a unique approach to achieving our mission:
- We focus our efforts in southern Kenya to have lasting impact in an area which is:
- Home to world-class wildlife
- And home to the legendary Maasai tribe, whose culture prohibits hunting wildlife for food.
- Both whose existence are threatened without access to clean water.
- Water is for humans, their livestock and neighboring wildlife
- We go beyond water projects to foster programs that promote human flourishing and economic security;
- And we help elevate the role of women in society while respecting cultural norms and traditions.
- We invest in building the capacity of local water management committees across the life of each project.
Success Rate: More than 82% of WILK’s water projects are still functioning, compared to the average global success rate of only 35%. This rate is based on whether the project is still operating and benefiting the users day by day.
Sustainability: Further, the sustainability of water projects depends on people’s ability to pay the water tariff, ongoing operations, maintenance and repair costs. That is why WILK is deeply connected with the communities in which we operate, ensuring there is strong community buy-in from the very beginning. Since 85% of income comes from livestock, we introduced a livestock farmer training and loan program to improve community incomes and break the cycle of poverty.
We usually do 2-3 water projects per year, along with ongoing monitoring visits and management capacity building trainings.
WILK receives requests from needy communities through recommendations from local leaders and community members. Then WILK visits the site, performs needs analysis and holds preliminary meetings with the requesting community. Upon mutual agreement after need is confirmed and community obligation to the project are agreed upon, the project will move forward.
Yes, people pay water tariffs so that there are sufficient resources to pay for ongoing operation, maintenance, and repairs, and for future replacement or expansion.
After completion of installation and construction of all elements of the borehole, WILK will hand over to the elected water management committee. They run it on behalf of their members. The capacity of the committee to manage is built up at a series of annual trainings. During the first few months of operation, WILK field officer will make frequent monitoring visits to ensure all is running well. As they get stronger, fewer visits are made.
First, community members elect a committee, then the committee registers the project officially with the government of Kenya. Then they begin to register borehole members, which includes paying a membership fee. This entitles each member to use the borehole at the water tariff rate set for members. When the borehole starts operating, the WMC may set 2 rates: one for members and one for non-members. Boreholes run best when the members take ownership from the beginning.
Livestock are crucial to the Maasai person’s life. As the saying goes: “You can’t be a Maasai if you don’t have cows.“
Our livestock programs – Livestock as Business (LAB) – are the next step to help communities thrive, and – as mentioned above – to help ensure the can continue to maintain access to clean water.
Once a community has sustainable access to clean water, they can maintain healthy livestock, which is a major driving force for local economies in the region. Our programs teach both the practical side of animal husbandry and drought management, and the economic/business side of the livestock industry.
The sustainability of water projects depends on people’s ability to pay the water tariff, ongoing operations, maintenance and repair costs. Since 85% of people’s income comes through livestock, WILK’s LAB program helps communities increase their economic stability to ensure continued access to clean water and continued economic development.
Every year, 6-10 groups, with an average 15 members each, apply to join the LAB program. Since it is a 4-year program, new groups join current 2nd, 3rd and 4th year groups. To be eligible, each group must be an active, group already registered with the government of Kenya. WILK currently accepts 4 new groups to its freshmen class.
Groups apply and are vetted according to completeness of application and the results of a group visit, during which we assess group cohesion and their level of interest.
Yes! We have also run a Beaded Handicrafts program, which provides income for dozens of artisans and their families (shop here), and the Hope for Widows program, which is based on the successful LAB model.
WILK keeps overhead costs low, and is efficient. Over 80% of our income goes straight to Maasai communities and community programs. Since 2007, we have spent $3,387,000 in 35 communities, impacting over 80,000 people! You can see our impact and annual reports here.
We are deeply connected with the communities we serve; that is, in fact, a core value at WILK. Before beginning a project, we work closely with community members and leaders. During a project, we assess community needs and determine what else a community might need to thrive (see question above regarding our livestock program). And after a project, we remain connected and monitor projects success.
We are proud to say that more than 83% of our water projects are still operational, as compared to the general success rate of similar organizations of 35%. In 2022, one of our projects is a water system upgrade within a community we have been working with for 15 years.
LAB group members, both current and graduated, continue to apply the business skills and good livestock keeping practices to their herds, building their family incomes and providing an ongoing good example to their neighbors.
Our success rate at WILK is not only extremely important for the long-term economic development of the community, but also for the opportunities available to women. In most Maasai families, it is the women and girls who are charged with securing clean water, leaving little time for other pursuits. At one well alone, we have freed 1,936,000 hours annually for women and girls who no longer must walk 12 hours a day in search of water. This has opened the door to educational opportunities, improved physical health, and unleashed new economic activities and entrepreneurial spirit.
Through three WILK programs in particular, Livestock as a Business (LAB), Beaded Handicrafts, and the new Hope for Widows, we have seen women blossom into entrepreneurs with powerful leadership skills, all while gaining much needed income for their families.
You can read and hear testimonies directly from women here.
WILK is not an explicitly faith-based organization, but we do recognize the many blessings of God, and His call to love and serve our neighbor, in all we do. We operate according to these guiding principles:
- Love your neighbor as yourself
- Don’t do for others what they can do for themselves
- Involve the community at every phase of the project
- Real lasting change will occur when people recognize the reality around them and their ability, with others, to change it.
Because you can make a difference! Your support allows us to help Kenyans bloom through love and water.
Thanks to our supporters, we’ve already brought clean water and sustainable economic growth to 35 communities, impacting tens of thousands of men, women, and children.
You can make an online donation, and learn about other ways to give, here.
You can also mail a check, made payable to Water is Life Kenya, to:
Water is Life – Kenya
314 E Main St
Kelway Plaza, Suite 2
Newark, Delaware 19711
To make a wire transfer to Water is Life Kenya contact our Development Director, Peter Caputo, here.
