Goats, Grants, & Graduation of Group 1 Widows

On Friday, August 6, our HFW participants celebrated at the Goats, Grants, & Graduation Ceremony. The first group of widows—who entered the program in 2022—graduated, while the second group received their second grants.

The first Hope for Widows cohort had two groups—one in the Kilimanjaro Highlands and the other in Amboseli. The Amboseli women began working together early on. The Highland group, though, is made of more independent farmers. After a few months, the Amboseli widows formed their own Self-Help group.

Since we started meeting with them two years ago, the Amboseli widows now meet every week to check in on each other. They encourage one another, add to their group savings account, and engage in healthy competition.

They even worked together to plan the Goats, Grants, and Graduation ceremony! They met every day to decide who would be responsible for food, equipment, setup, etc., so that everything would be perfect.

Around 800-900 people were in attendance. The graduating widows had their own tent to distinguish themselves in a place of honor. They wore yellow shukas with matching shoes and belts. As a symbol of their graduation, they each received a certificate, a photo of their group, and a personalized shopping bag.

We are so proud of these women! Not only have they worked hard to earn money to support themselves, they’ve also become examples to other Maasai women. In recent weeks, the most successful widows have begun to pool their money and uplift other women who are struggling.

Goats & Grants for Group 2 Widows

The second group of widows (who wore green shukas at the Goats, Grants, & Graduation ceremony) have also been hard at work with their businesses. The hope is that, after learning business skills and confidence, women can generate savings in addition to making enough to pay for food, school fees, and other expenses. For some, this hasn’t been so easy.

These second-year widows are broken into two groups—Ogulului and Amboseli. The Amboseli widows joined the built-in support network of the Group 1 Amboseli widows. This extra support has made them more successful. These women are located near tourism routes, so their businesses do better. They also pool their savings with the Group 1 widows.

The Ogulului women have approached things differently. With less tourism, they have fewer customers, so entrepreneurship isn’t so straightforward. Their region is better for livestock keeping, so some have focused on building their goat herds. A few women have thrived, while others are still learning. Still, each woman has made progress.

At last year’s Goats & Grants ceremony, these women received a $150 cash grant for their business and 3 goats. This year, the Group 2 widows received a second grant of $150. This will help them buy stock for their businesses, which will get a boost from the additional stock. After the lessons learned in their first go-round, they are poised for greater success this time.

Also last year, widows kept one baby goat for themselves and gave one away to a needy woman. Both the Group 1 and Group 2 ladies were happy to continue the tradition, and about 20 baby goats were gifted to needy neighbors.

Goats & Grants for Group 3 Widows

The Group 3 Widows attended the Goats, Grants, & Graduation Ceremony as onlookers. Over the summer, they were trained in business skills, profit, risk of business, seasonal fluctuations of business, choosing a business to run, the Rights of Women and Widows, and Livestock as a Business (LAB) principles.

Here are some facts about these women:

 —On average, they have 5 children.
—Some women have been widowed recently while others have been widows for a long time.
—A few were young when they married much older men.
—Several were mistreated and taken advantage of by their deceased husbands’ families.
—Some have experience selling jewelry or food, while a few feel lost because their husbands were their sole providers.
—A common thread is that they all want to take care of their children and afford school fees.

On September 7, this third group of women in our Hope for Widows Program participated in their own Goats & Grants Ceremony in Amboseli, and widows from the other two groups also came to offer their support.

Dressed in blue shukas, the widows received their own goats and grants. These goats serve the same function as the cows in our LAB Program: they’re a long-term asset, as they will produce even more goats in the future. The grants are seed money for their small businesses, which can now finally begin after a summer of training sessions.

We’re optimistic that our newest Hope for Widows participants will be as successful as the previous groups have been. Although they have many obstacles to overcome, they also now have support and guidance from other women like them. We know they’ll, too, inspire the next group of women we’ll train next year when we enter the fourth year of the program.

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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.

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Breaking Ground, Solving Problems

When drilling in this region, which is right near the volcanic Mt. Kilimanjaro, we never know what lies below the surface. Earlier this year, the hydrogeological survey told us where the water was, but the kind of rocks underneath were a mystery until drilling happened.

On June 30, we broke ground. The conditions were less than ideal. Olmoti’s soil is volcanic, so it’s filled with minuscule pockets of air. During drilling, the pulverized rocks shot out of the borehole via compressed air. The walls of the borehole also were too loose, so they collapsed several times.

The volcanic soil was also loose. As water was ejected from the borehole, that water was absorbed into the air pockets. The soil turned muddy, and the collapsing walls of the borehole caused several delays in drilling. Fortunately, our team was on the ground monitoring the drilling the entire time. At each road bump, we helped the drillers problem-solve, communicate with their boss in town, and devise solutions. For example, we solidified the walls of the trouble zone with 8-inch casings so drilling could continue.

After 50 meters of arduous drilling, we hit first water—which is in abundance. After a day of drilling, you could put your ear to the borehole and hear it slushing around at the bottom. In total, we drilled 312 feet, or 95 meters, to tap into the lower aquifer so Olmoti’s borehole won’t run dry.

What Comes Next

Test pumping followed a week later. The pump ran for 4 hours at 15,000 liters/hour, and the water level didn’t change. This tells us the water will flow well and consistently while not depleting the supply. The water itself is also clean, which means it’s potable. Many people showed up for test pumping and filled their jerry cans so they could bring water home without having to walk for hours to find it.

The next phase of this project is construction. As always, not only do we have to build the infrastructure needed to support the borehole and make it functional, we also have to elephant-proof it. Reinforced concrete will prevent elephants from destroying the borehole as they try to retrieve the now-accessible water. There will also be a pump house, water point, water tank, latrines, and other features built around the borehole. To run the borehole, a water pump and solar panels will be added.

Our boreholes in Kenya are expensive, but that’s because they need to sustain the community. Once the project is completed, women and girls will no longer have to walk up to eight hours a day to find water. This will give women the opportunity to earn money to send their children to school—and girls will have a chance to attend, too, because the cost will no longer be prohibitive.

Lives are going to change for the better! Thank you for believing in this borehole project and supporting the Olmoti community. We can’t help them without you, and we look forward to more good news about the Olmoti borehole!

The post Global Linkages Water Project: July Update for Olmoti appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

Water Pump and Solar Panels

One of the last steps in building a long-lasting borehole is the installation of the water pump. For the Lositeti community, this is especially important because the water will be pumped more than a mile away from the water collection site. This design was agreed upon because the main community hub is far away from the borehole site which was (accurately) predicted to yield good water flow. We also installed solar power—thirty 540-kilowatt solar panels—to power the pump at the site. As soon as there was a break in the rain a few weeks ago, local contractors installed this pump and power system.

These solar panels will generate enough energy to run the water pump and pump the water up the hill to its holding tank. The panels and pump were generously donated by our friends at the Newark Rotary Club, Rotary District 7630, and eight additional partner clubs. Collectively, they raised a total of $16,350 to fund this part of Lositeti’s borehole infrastructure. This is what it looks like to put “Service above Self” for others.

The Importance of Partnerships

We love working with selfless Rotarians because they know how to mobilize support for others. Not only does Rotary’s emphasis of “Service Above Self” align with our mission, but one of Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus aligns perfectly with our WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) projects. Because of this overlap, we’ve worked on other water projects with Rotary International before. Completed in 2012, our Olepolos Community Borehole project was funded by a Rotary International Global Grant sponsored by the Dover Colonial Rotary Club. This deep borehole well is still functioning today.

For Lositeti, however, we and our Rotary friends decided to fund a specific part of the borehole project by earning a district grant and enrolling partner clubs. In this way, the Lositeti project enrolled more Rotarians and had a larger Delmarva footprint than an ordinary Global Grant. By traveling to different clubs across District 7630, we were able to spread awareness about the need for water in Kajiado County. The result was a successful project at Lositeti that was supported by more donors and partners than any previous WILK project.

This project could not have been accomplished without Newark Rotary’s incoming president, Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow Jerry Bilton. Throughout 2023, Jerry mobilized his connections to set up talks at Rotary Clubs across District 7630. He traveled with our Outreach and Operations Manager, Aaron Lemma, to co-present the project at many of these clubs. Throughout the fund-and-awareness-raising process, Jerry communicated regularly with project partners and the WILK team to ensure everything was in order for success. The time and effort Jerry and Aaron put into enlisting a total of nine Rotary clubs and earning a District 7630 grant was substantial.

The mission of Rotary is to connect people with a shared vision, and Jerry and his Newark Rotary club have done just that for us. Their commitment to service shows us just how much can be achieved when you can get everyone involved. We are indebted to each of our partners who helped bring clean water and new life to Lositeti: Newark Delaware Rotary Club; Newark Star Rotary Club; Camden-Wyoming Rotary Club; Dover Colonial Rotary Club-Dover Delaware; Dover Capital City Rotary; Dover Downtown Rotary Club; Rotary of Kent Island; Rotary Club of St. Michaels; MOT Rotary Club; Rotary District 7630; Project Leader Jerry Bilton; and individual contributors: DG John Magher; DGND Ken Montville; Michael Friedberg; Sue and Johnathan Simon.

Because of their commitment to Lositeti, Water is Life Kenya is proud to honor District 7630 and this project’s champion, Jerry Bilton, into our prestigious Kilimanjaro Club. Thank you for your inspiring generosity!

What’s Next for Lositeti

To protect the solar panels from animal interference, an electric fence (also funded by this Rotary effort) has been installed. Currently, Lositeti’s Water Management Committee is getting the hang of managing their borehole. Soon we’ll hand the borehole over to the Lositeti community, which will benefit tremendously from their new water source. People are still recovering from the loss of livestock, so the new water supply will aid in their recovery. We anticipate the official Handover Ceremony to take place over the summer.

Lositeti will surely have reason to celebrate this year. Among other things, the availability of clean, potable water at a local source will support the community’s women and children. The obvious benefits include reducing illnesses and supporting the health of both people and animals. But having a close, dependable water source empowers women and allows them to generate income that supports themselves and their children.

Communities thrive with the simple gift of water. Over the last 17 years, we’ve helped nearly 100,000 people transform in so many positive ways after lifting the burden of searching for water. We currently have two more water projects in the works now that Lositeti’s borehole is almost finished. We can’t wait to develop more partnerships and provide more Kenyans with clean water access.

SAVE THE DATE: Wine into Water — Celebrating a Job “Well” Done with Newark Rotary & Partners

Together with Jerry, Newark Rotary, and Newark Star Rotary, WILK is hosting a celebration in honor of the Lositeti Handover Ceremony with a “Wine into Water” event. On Friday, July 12, we’ll be at Deerfield Wines from 5:00-7:00 pm. You can participate in a silent auction of art donated by Newark Arts Alliance and shop our collection of Kenyan beaded handicrafts. There will also be light fare and wine tasting provided. Join us as we come together in fellowship and rejoice at how much partnerships can accomplish!

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Empalakai Community Borehole (2022)

Women in Empalakai used to have a treacherous path to take in order to find water. Not only did the walk take several hours, but the area where water collected was in a rocky riverbed. The water was heavy and dirty, and people often got sick from drinking it.

In April 2022, we dug 220 meters to tap into the water reserve. Once the well was constructed, water basins and cattle troughs were built. An appropriate pump and generator also had to be installed. By September, the water system was online and ready to be used. About 6,000 liters of water per minute can be pumped from the well, and women no longer have to risk their lives to find it.

Esukuta Community Borehole (2015)

Like the women in Empalakai, women in Esukuta also had difficulty finding potable water. Esukuta means “salt,” and the water women managed to collect by hand-scooping in shallow wells was barely fit for human consumption. Even livestock got parasites from drinking the water.

Our Esukuta borehole is one of the earliest we constructed. In July 2015, we broke ground and tested the water. It took about a year to complete the project, but the results speak for themselves. Pipes were connected to nearby Nasipa Primary School so it could also have access to clean water. Shops opened up around the borehole, and women could earn money from the time they saved not having to search for water. Livestock is healthier and children perform better in school.

And last summer, trees were planted and toilets installed during phase 3 of the Esukuta Borehole Project. Which means that, after nearly a decade, the borehole still is providing water to this community.

Ilkisonko Boys’ High School (2022)

In 2022, the Ilkisonko Boys School in Loitokitok had over 1,200 students, 800 of whom lived on campus. But the pipe system wasn’t working and water had to be purchased and delivered to the school. Water, then, was rationed to students, who could bathe only once a week. Even people living in areas surrounding the school couldn’t access clean water.

To solve the problem, we drilled 300 meters (Ilkisonko Boys School is at the top of a hill in the highlands) and constructed a borehole for the school. Not only did the students benefit from this project, but the surrounding communities did as well. Because the borehole had a strong flow, it could sell water to nearby areas. Now, thousands of people benefit from the results of this successful water project.

Lositeti Community Borehole (2024)

Our newest active water project is one that was desperately needed. The people in Lositeti suffered great losses from the three-year-long drought that Kenyans endured. Women walked for hours and “scooped” for water, sometimes returning home without any. Cattle herds were wiped out by disease and starvation. People are still so poor and isolated that, even with rain falling, they can’t bounce back.

The support we received for this project astounded us. Donations came from Rotary District 7360, the Raskob Foundation, the Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation, our board member Linda, and so many other people. It was clear that the cries from people in Loisteti had been heard.

We began drilling a borehole for this community last month. During test pumping, people lined up to fill their jerry cans. We also distributed beans and nutrient-rich flour to offer additional relief to those who still desperately need it. We still have to build the borehole and its supporting infrastructure, but there’s finally hope for people in Lositeti where before there was none.

How Will You Celebrate World Water Day?

This year’s theme for World Water Day is “Leveraging Water for Peace.” Peace can mean a lot of things, but for the people we serve it usually means peace of mind. Women are empowered by not having to spend most of the day, every day, searching for water. Children can go to school and actually retain what they learn. Livestock stay healthy, which benefits both families and communities. All around, lives are changed—for the better.

The post World Water Day: Celebrating WILK’s Success Stories appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

This is the story of how we’re bringing water to Lositeti.

Water Troubles

We talk a lot about how long many women and their daughters have to walk to find water in Kenya. Lositeti was no different. Even last week, when we discussed the issue with women who live there, they said it takes about six hours round-trip to bring water home. Sometimes, because the “water hole” didn’t necessarily have any water.

Instead, women “scooped” in a sand bed to try to retrieve whatever water they could. About 1/3 of the time, they wouldn’t get anything beyond sand. And the area was busy: both people and wild animals all went there for the same reason, looking for water in an area where it was supposed to be. Also, because of the animals’ waste, the water wasn’t safe for consumption.

Plus, it’s hot. Imagine walking all that way for nothing.

Economic Difficulties

People in Lositeti are still struggling after the devastating drought that just ended in Kenya. Many cows died from lack of grass and water, leaving Maasai without their traditional means of savings. They haven’t been able to replace the lost cows, either. Right now, they can only afford to eat maize because beans are hard to come by. People are so poor and isolated that, even with the rain falling now, they can’t bounce back.

Lositeti is the most remote of our water projects, and Michael traveled a long way to reach us. Even though he’d heard of us through interacting with other communities, other people in Lositeti weren’t aware of how we could help.

The Road Less Traveled

Recent rain meant the road couldn’t support the weight of the trucks bringing in the drilling equipment. On February 19, after they’d had some time to dry, we decided to test the road. At one point, the trucks got stuck in a muddy spot. It took some persistence and elbow grease, but by the end of the day the drilling rig and casings were in place. What a celebration for our friend Michael on his birthday!

Drilling began the following day. We hit the first aquifer at 28 meters, which was much sooner than we expected. Ultimately, we drilled down to about 150 meters (almost 500 feet) where we decided the rate of the water flow would be sufficient. On February 26, we began test pumping. Early reports from the people who filled their water jugs suggest that the water is “tasty.” More importantly, about two minutes after we stopped pumping the water level rose back to where it needed to be.

Building a Better Future with Water

The construction of the borehole in Lositeti will take several months. There are also decisions to make regarding the size of the pump and how to power it. These choices will determine how many connections to the new water source can be made as well as how much it will cost to keep the borehole running. In an area where there isn’t much money, it’s important to plan out as much as possible to avoid making costly changes later on.

We’re hopeful that the good luck we’ve had in Lositeti will continue, and we’re so grateful to Rotary District 7630 and the rest of our faithful donors who contributed towards this water project. We can’t wait to complete the borehole so that Lositeti will have fresh, clean water available for a long time to come.

The post The Path to Water: Bringing a Borehole to Lositeti appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

We’d like to introduce you to Global Linkages as well as tell you more about our goals for this project.

Linking People to Africa

Founded in 1997 and based in the NJ-NYC metropolitan area, Global Linkages, Inc. is a management consulting firm that specializes in developing partnerships between the United States and the African continent with a particular focus on the African Diaspora.

As part of its services, Global Linkages provides a “boutique travel experience” that connects individuals, educational institutions, governments, businesses, and community development organizations with unique and exciting explorations in Africa. The goal is to provide an immersive experience that goes beyond traditional tourism by building deep relationships with the communities that they visit. Groups have traveled to Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Senegal, and, in 2022, Kenya and Tanzania.

Lorna Johnson, owner of Global Linkages, has coordinated both state trade missions as well as community development tours to various African countries. She gives travelers a lasting experience by performing service projects while they’re abroad. Her focus is on organizations whose work includes international and global interests.

“We Want to Help”

In 2022, Global Linkages organized two tours to Kenya. During an East African Tour, a partnership was established with members of Olmoti, a Maasai community near Amboseli National Park in Kenya.

This community has many needs, and after seeing their situation travelers decided to help them. The initial request was to provide school supplies and sneakers for children, and over 160 pairs of shoes were shared. However, it soon became clear that more help was needed. As travelers rode through the towns and countryside, they saw dry, red dust everywhere but very little green vegetation.

Maasai tour guides described how the lack of water was killing their cattle and, with them, entire livelihoods. One family’s herd which was 60 heads of cattle—assets that essentially act as bank accounts—was reduced to 3 during the drought. Men traveled hundreds of miles away to find pasture, which stressed families tremendously.

After her two trips to Kenya, she realized Global Linkages could do more work to help the people they visited. After learning about the work we do at WILK, Lorna reached out to us to work together and bring a stable water source to Olmoti. Together, we decided a borehole project would be the most beneficial resource for this community.

Olmoti, Global Linkages, and WILK

Over the years, WILK has discovered that partnering with a strong community will make our projects more successful. Olmoti is an active community with good leadership that’s committed to serving its members. However, it’s located in the pathway of the Great Migration, which means dangerous wildlife inhibits water collection outside of the area. A borehole within the community would help people have direct access to clean water while preventing women and their daughters from encountering lions and other potential threats.

Wells in this region are incredibly deep and, therefore, elephant-proofed. Because of this extra precaution, the cost of this project is $100,000 USD. An investment in this community will secure not only their survival but also their self-reliance. By involving the Olmoti community—especially the women—at every step of this process, we’re ensuring this valuable water resource will be used, maintained, and respected for generations to come.

Both Global Linkages and WILK believe in partnering with local communities to help them become self-sufficient. We’re so happy to be working with Global Linkages while also helping the Olmoti community. To learn more and support this project, you can donate directly to the Global Linkages Water Project Campaign.

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As we write this, we’re preparing to start drilling at our next borehole site—Lositeti. Our fundraising campaign for this project took place last summer. Drilling a borehole that will help a community long-term is not a simple process, though. As we look forward to Lositeti, let’s look back on past Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) projects to talk about the methods, timeframe, and costs of building durable boreholes.

It Takes (More Than) a Village

Many people in and around Kajiado County, Kenya, know about the work we at Water is Life Kenya (WILK) have done over the last seventeen years. That’s what prompted Michael Lankoi, a teacher from Lositeti, to travel 40 miles to Nooriro where we were drilling a borehole this past summer. The people in Lositeti had been suffering because of the three-year-long drought, and he asked us to help them.

We receive many requests for help. Therefore, after building a relationship with a community, we travel to the ground to conduct a needs assessment. This helps us determine what kind of help, if any, is needed. Is water available nearby? Are people committed to running and maintaining a borehole? Will the community benefit from a borehole project? These are just some of the questions we answer before getting our team-—and our donors—more involved.

Lositeti checked all of those boxes. Shallow wells had dried up, a nearby dam was empty, and livestock had been wiped out. The community welcomed us and was eager to envision what their new life would look like. Following the needs assessment, we completed a hydrogeological survey, mobilized community leadership and organizations, and guided them as they filed for drilling permits. It was only then that we asked our donors to help fund the project.

Between a grant from The Raskob Foundation, contributions from ten Rotary clubs across District 7630, and individual donations, we raised over $80,000 to fund this community borehole for Lositeti. That might seem like a lot of money—and it is—but we don’t just dig a hole and leave. This is why our projects have been so successful for so long.

Our Borehole Process

Our work in Nooriro is just one of the 27 clean water projects we’ve completed in Kajiado County. From the initial assessment to the opening ceremony, it takes about a year to complete a project. It’s time to answer how much our water wells cost in Kenya.

The needs assessment, community mobilization, and hydrogeological survey steps we mentioned, along with training a Water Management Committee (WMC) that will oversee the project on a daily basis, can cost around $5,000-$15,000. In Kenya, water resources are owned by the state, so applications and permits are required before drilling can even begin. Drilling the borehole and a 24-hour test pumping come next and cost around $15,000-$25,000, but this is not even the most expensive step.

Following drilling and test pumping comes the most critical step in our region—construction. Because of nearby elephants who love fresh, clean borehole water (see our blog post about elephants to learn more), borehole infrastructure must be made out of reinforced concrete. Local contractors are hired to build a pump house, water point, troughs for animals, water storage, and latrines. The community pays for some of this construction as a “buy-in,” while the rest (anywhere from $25,000-$50,000, as determined by the needs of the community) is funded by WILK. Following construction, a water pump and generator are purchased and installed. Because our wells are deep (up to 300 meters), the pump and generator installation can cost between $15,000-$20,000.

Once these projects are established, our team monitors them quarterly during the first year and conducts questionnaires and other data collection. We are on standby to help resolve conflicts and troubleshoot solutions with WMCs.

Past Borehole Success Stories

The Ilkisonko borehole can show how much work goes into our projects. After drilling, we conducted test pumping, constructed necessary infrastructure, equipped a generator and pump, and trained a well management team. Therefore, our comprehensive projects have a larger cost than other smaller ones that are dug in Kenya. (The global success rate of water wells is 30-50% after two to five years. Our projects are far more sustainable, with a success rate of about 85% and some wells running for over 15 years).

One of our early projects (2012) in Olepolos is still running—and supporting two schools in addition to the community. Because the community was involved throughout the process, the borehole fits its needs. Now people have been moving to Olepolos for its water security. There are also farms, shops, and a restaurant, all of which support the economy. This means the people in Olepolos can manage the borehole as well as afford to keep it running.

We Have More Work to Do

Our first borehole in 2024 will be in Lositeti, but we’re reading through applications and surveying areas for additional borehole projects. There are so many people in Kajiado County who still suffer from the aftereffects of the three-year drought. We want to help as many as we can, but we also will continue to follow the plan we’ve been using successfully for the last seventeen years.

With all of our projects, we do our best to ensure borehole longevity. Not only does that mean boreholes are made to withstand the elements (and the elephants), but they also need to stay funded to keep running. If we want these communities to prosper, we have to help them beyond building a well.

So, how much do water wells cost in Kenya? Our community borehole wells cost about $80,000 – $100,000. And what about the benefit? The reality is that communities of up to 5,000 people (and their animals) have water for decades because of our projects. Considering some cars cost $80,000, you tell us: How much does clean water for communities cost?

The post How Much Does a Borehole Cost in Kenya? appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

This week, we’ll highlight an important partner that’s been helping us help Kenyans in Lositeti: Rotary District 7630.

People Helping People

Since Water is Life Kenya was founded, Rotary Clubs around Newark and Rotary District 7630 have made a major impact on our borehole projects in Kenya. In 2012, WILK partnered with the Dover Colonial Rotary Club and Rotary International to implement a global grant. This led to the creation of the Olepolos Borehole Project, which is still running strong today. VOA Africa visited the project last year, creating this video which shows how the project and community have evolved over the last 10 years.

WILK’s involvement with Rotary has picked up again this past year.

Last November, the Newark Star Rotary Club held a fundraiser for WILK at Deerfield Wines called Changing Water into Wine. At the event, WILK’s Outreach & Operations Manager, Aaron Lemma, met Rotarian Jerry Bilton, a member of the Newark Rotary Club. A few months later, Jerry came to Aaron with ambitions of putting together a district grant. As the cost of a WILK community borehole is around $80,000, the two decided that furnishing a pump and generator at Lositeti, the site of our next borehole project, would be within reach.

Purchasing and equipping the pump and generator would cost $16,300. With a clear fundraising target in mind, Jerry got to work.

Getting to Work

Over the past several months, Jerry has brought eight Rotary Clubs across Rotary District 7630 onto this project. Strengthened by these generous partners, the grant proposal was submitted and accepted. WILK was awarded the maximum amount—$5,000—which will be used towards the pump and generator at Lositeti.

The partnering clubs who enabled this project to happen have pledged to contribute the remaining $11,300. We are deeply grateful for their participation. Those clubs are Newark, Dover Capital City, Dover Colonial, Camden-Wyoming, Middletown-Odessa-Townsend, St. Michael’s, Newark Star, and Kent Island.

Jerry and Aaron have been traveling to these clubs, sharing about the project, and introducing Rotarians to WILK’s transformative programs. The result has been more connections, friendships, supporters, and partners in support of our communities in Kenya. We’re grateful to Jerry for introducing us to his friends and District 7630’s grant commission for believing in this effort.

Service Above Self

Service projects are part of Rotary International’s mission. Clubs are always looking for involvement—especially local involvement—in impactful projects. Partnering with WILK, which is based in Newark, DE, on a water project in Kenya is a perfect blend of local Rotary involvement with a global focus. In fact, one of the seven areas of focus for Rotary International is to provide clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to communities in need.

The 2012 International Grant, in partnership with Dover Colonial Rotary Club, demonstrates Rotary International’s commitment to supporting sustainable WASH projects in Kenya. With this District Grant project, a new model for collaboration has blossomed between WILK and Rotary. By partnering with more clubs at varying levels of contributions, a robust coalition in support of Lositeti has emerged.

These eight partner clubs and District 7630 stand alongside the hundreds of WILK donors who have supported the Lositeti community borehole through the Lositeti Flash Campaign this summer. Together, we reached the complete fundraising goal of $80,000.

Including the Rotarians at each of these eight clubs, it’s likely that this is the single greatest number of supporters any Water is Life Kenya project has ever had. It’s been an impressive effort on behalf of Jerry and all District 7630 Rotarians who believe in putting Service above Self for the people of Kenya.

How You Can Help

Partnerships like this help us bring clean water and increased incomes to communities in Kenya, and we’re always looking for more people and groups to get involved. If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, sponsoring an event for us, or hearing us speak about our mission, visit our connect with us page. Just like Jerry, you, too, can find your own unique way to support our communities in Kenya.

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You Gotta Have Friends

For a long time, Nooriro residents weren’t able to live on their land. Instead, they were forced to squat a ten-hour walk away near the only available water. After assessing the situation, we decided to dig a borehole so they’d have access to water in Nooriro and, therefore, could come home again. As we’ve discussed before, there are many steps that precede drilling in order to ensure that the well will continue to run after it’s been installed. Once a hydrogeological survey team determined that enough water was available underground, we developed a plan for the borehole

Before drilling could begin, we had to raise money. That’s when our friend Paul from the Lions Club of Pike Creek, along with the Lions Club of Nairobi Greater and the Lions Club International Foundation pulled their resources to pay for digging the well. Without the Lions’ generosity, it would’ve taken much longer to save for all of the expenses needed to drill the borehole.

Paul was on hand in February for the early drilling in Nooriro, but it wasn’t until we’d drilled almost 240 meters that we tapped into the aquifer. After we tested the water, we began building the infrastructure that would allow the people in Nooriro to utilize it. None of this would have been possible without our partnership with the Lions and their commitment to serving others.

Opening Day in Nooriro

A couple weeks ago, the last of the construction was finished. The pump house, water tank, and latrines were installed, the water pump and generator were added, and everything was hooked up to the energy grid. Finally we could celebrate the arrival of fresh, clean water to the people in Nooriro.

During the ceremony, everyone sang and danced with joy. The Lions then distributed enough food for 300 Nooriro families—approximately 2,100 people—to last for a month. They, too, were given gifts to thank them for their generosity. More importantly, the lives of this community were changed for the better.

Love In Action

The Nooriro borehole has given hope to people who, until recently, had none. With the opening of the new well, people have begun moving back home. Many are talking about how their lives will change for good. They have plans to build a school, and maybe even a health clinic.

We’ve spent sixteen years setting almost thirty groups of people up for success. The people in Nooriro have benefitted from the support of many people, but so many more Maasai face similar difficulties. We hope this same generosity will be given to future projects that we have planned.

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