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.

The post Celebrating Widows With Hope appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

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.

The post Partner Spotlight: St. Philip’s Lutheran Church appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

Now that we’ve trained community leaders, we’re well underway with our newest program. Let’s take a look at how early lessons are already resonating with our 11 Grazing Management Committees.

Community Development

When asked what communities needed from us, GMCs immediately mentioned motorcycles; they wanted to use the vehicles as a way to monitor farmers—who, consequently, hadn’t been trained in grazing management in any way. The first step we took, then, was to reinforce the idea of a community with one main goal: grass conservation to support cow health. Collectively, we decided that teaching GMCs to teach their communities’ farmers was a more important “need.”

The other difficulty we faced was trying to convince farmers that the work they were being asked to do would benefit them in the end. Individual farmers are just that—individuals—and, without knowing the plan, they were hesitant to work together. We used early meetings with these communities as a way to build a consensus for what everyone wanted to accomplish. GMCs, then, could go over their plans on how to manage the grass.

Water is Life Kenya’s (WILK) Co-Founder Joseph Larasha also brought up an important point for farmers to consider: “What are livestock for?” Often, Maasai consider cattle to be worth more than their own families, to the point where money would be used to support cows before anything else. But cows build income that will support their families, so farmers had to rethink their approach towards traditional husbandry.

We’ve managed to pass on a lot of information to many people during each meeting. Sometimes hundreds of people will show up to listen in and learn from WILK, Larasha, and the GMCs. More importantly, what tends to happen after our trainings is that what we teach is then shared with friends and families. The impact of these lessons travels far and wide, and we couldn’t be happier.

A Thousand Trained, Thousands to Go

Since donations started coming in, we’ve helped GMCs lead community trainings in Ogulului, Enkong’u Narok, Oloilalei, Loolakir, and Esiteti. In the last two weeks, we’ve trained over 1,000 farmers. We’ll train thousands more before the summer’s over.

For 11 years, WILK has been teaching livestock farmers how to run successful businesses and prevent losses when droughts come through our Livestock as a Business (LAB) program. During these community trainings, we’ve been sharing those same lessons about drought cycle management, buying and selling, and working together as a community. We’ve taken to calling this portion of the training “LAB Lite.”

People are seeing the vision, and they are jumping on board. Healthy grass means healthy livestock, stable family incomes, a robust, resilient ecosystem, strengthened wild animal herds, increased tourism, and more prosperity for the entire community.

We have so many people to thank for believing in us and our mission. We’re proud of the work we’ve done to help communities in Kajiado County, Kenya, but we’re not finished. We’ll continue to teach more communities about grass management and conservation over the rest of the summer months. And, hopefully, more Maasai will be ready when the next drought strikes—and will have the skills to keep their cows alive.

The post Planning for Pasture: Program Update appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

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.

Why Care About Grass?

Traditional Maasai livestock keepers are strongly conservative in terms of preserving their culture and way of doing things, including grazing habits. Pastoralists decide how and where to graze their animals in communal grazing areas, but they have never been trained about the impact of managed grazing.

85% of Maasai income comes from livestock, but livestock can only be healthy and sellable if they eat well. This means that managing pasture strategically is critical to economic stability.

While some Maasai lost everything in the recent three-year drought, they haven’t taken advantage of the abundant grass growing now that it’s raining again. And the one thing we know is that another drought will occur eventually. We need to prepare now to prevent the loss of livestock.

Illiteracy is also a major hurdle in the communities where we work, so we have found that effective, practical education is key. Investing in education on this critical topic could make a huge difference. Even if 10-20% of the nearly 12,000 livestock farmers in this region start sharing this vision, the ecosystem can be greener and more prosperous within three years.

Our Plan for Pasture

Livestock keepers participating in our LAB program managed to keep their animals alive during the recent drought. This is due to skillful pasture conservation and planning ahead.

We decided to bring this same method to the Grazing Management Committee (GMC) leaders through a new program called Planning for Pasture. First we spent time understanding their needs. Then we developed a curriculum to empower all GMCs to train community members and build cooperation between them.

We teach the committees to set goals and then develop indicators to measure success. We also teach drought cycle management and pasture conservation. Finally, we “train the trainers to train” by assigning topics to the committee members. This lets them practice teaching and designing lesson plans which prepares them to teach their communities later on.

So far, the responses from the 176 people we have trained have been extremely positive. Several members said, “We’ve never had training like this before. When are you coming back?”

Setting Maasai Up for Success

We are successful because we partner with and in communities to build lasting capacity—rather than dictate policies from a desk thousands of miles away. Together with the GMCs, we have begun promoting the vision of a “3D Free Zone”—a “No Death During Drought Zone.”

You can help us support Maasai grass managers by contributing to our Planning for Pasture Campaign. Doing so will lead to more secure household income because of stable animal body conditions and fewer fluctuations in animal values, which means less stress and more prosperity for families.

We are nearly halfway to our goal of $48,800 for this project. Your gift—at any level—will get us closer to providing the education and support that Maasai need to thrive in their challenging environment.

Grazing management is a natural extension of our work, which provides clean water and livestock business skills. This level of planning and education will go a long way in guaranteeing a healthy and prosperous future for Maasai and their ecosystem. With a shared vision and cooperation fostered by a strong community training program, the crazy ups and downs caused by the drought can finally be a thing of the past.

The post Planning for Pasture: Helping Maasai Avoid Livestock Loss During Drought 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!

The post Newark Rotary, Rotary District 7630 put “Service Above Self” for Lositeti, Kenya appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

There are both immediate and future repercussions from this overabundance of rain hitting Kenya. Let’s look at what’s happening in and around Kajaido County now as well as at what likely will happen next.

Water, Water Everywhere

Kenyans have seen record rainfall during the 2024 rainy season. Heavy rains, exacerbated by the Indian Ocean Dipole, are causing dangerous flood conditions along western Kenya. In Kajaido County, some roads are impassable. So far, over 200,000 people have been displaced because of flooding caused by constant rain.

But flooding is only the most obvious result of this severe weather. Landslides (or mudslides) and soil erosion also occur because the now-saturated soil can’t absorb the deluge. Last month, a landslide killed more than 40 people in Mai Mahiu, Naruku County (north of Kajiado County). And, at about this time last year, heavy rains during the rainy season caused similar environmental challenges.

For Water is Life Kenya (WILK) specifically, work is on hold. We can’t complete the borehole installation in Lositeti until the rains stop. Because our Livestock as a Business (LAB) and Hope for Widows programs meet outdoors, we have to wait for the weather to clear before we can train more people. Basically, everything is on pause while the rain falls.

When It Rains, It Pours

The floods are a problem now, and they’ll cause additional problems in the future. Land degradation is the most dangerous result: fertile soil washes away in the floodwaters and, when the rain finally stops, the land creates huge cracks and ravines get bigger. Flooding, then, will exacerbate desertification as much as drought.

Animals, too, suffer from changing soil conditions. Our friend Michael Lankoi, who told us about Lositeti’s need for a borehole, lost all of his cows when he was in search of water. They tried to drink from a difficult-to-access ravine after the sediment moved because of last year’s floods. Unfortunately, they couldn’t climb back up out of the ravine, which is where they died.

Nutrients crucial to crop cultivation are also lost, and pollutants settle in the ground. The remaining water from the floods often carries disease, which affects crops, people, and animals. So not only is the potential for food insecurity an issue, the overall health of the region is compromised.

What We Can Do

There’s no way to control the weather, and climate change is causing weather patterns to shift drastically. What we can do, however, is continue to support our communities in Kajiado County. The main way for us to accomplish this is to provide clean, reliable sources of water that both people and animals can use.

It may seem contradictory to talk about water when there’s so much rain falling. But remember that Kajiado County suffered for three years under severe drought conditions. The rain is heavy now, but it won’t last. And when the water dries up, we have to be prepared for the potential of another long drought.

We’ve learned to adapt to unpredictable weather by preparing communities as much as possible. We hope that, with the addition of training our Grazing Management Committees, we’ll find a way to help our friends weather the storm.

The post What Happens When the Rain Won’t Stop Falling appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

Some of our donors have read McCrummen’s article and wondered how we felt about it. Here, we’re going to talk about the article, the potential impact of having more Maasai in Kenya, and how our values align with those held by Maasai.

“No cows, no life”

Stephanie McCrummen’s article “The Great Serengeti Land Grab” categorizes the systematic removal of Tanzanian Maasai from the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Much of the article focuses on Songoyo, a Maasai who once was a prominent herder with 75 cows and land to support their grazing.

McCrummen met Songoyo after his cows and land had already been seized. He’d grown up in the traditional Maasai lifestyle and, as such, valued cattle above all else: “No cows, no life.” But in June 2022, Tanzanian security forces called a “routine ruling-party meeting” then arrested 27 Maasai leaders. Soldiers and police surrounded the boma and, after one Maasai warrior shot an arrow and killed a police officer, security forces fired at the Maasai. The land has now been developed into the Pololeti Game Reserve for the Dubai royal family.

Land grabs like this aren’t new in Tanzania. Maasai used to live in what is now Serengeti National Park—until they were pushed out in 1959 and relocated to Ngorongoro. Then, in 2022, the United Arab Emirates made a $7.5 billion deal with the Tanzanian government to promote “tourism and conservation.” But large-game trophy hunting by UAE royalty in helicopters with semiautomatic weapons takes place instead. Also, UAE Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook al-Maktoum owns 8% of forested land in Tanzania; he sells “carbon credits” to companies that want to show a reduced carbon footprint.

Songoyo now herds sheep to sell in Kenya, walking 130 miles a week. His goal is to buy a cow and start his life over, but he earns only about $10 every week. Half of that is used to feed his family. He owes a debt for five sheep that a hyena killed en route to Kilgoris, Kenya. A cow costs around $200. But he refuses to give up, even though he’s lost weight and has 14 children to feed.

Impact on Kenyan Maasai

The Tanzanian government is vastly different from the Kenyan government. While changing land laws in Kenya also caused a land grab, Kenyan culture encourages tribes, like Maasai, to practice their traditions. Tanzanians, however, have been all but forced to drop their tribal customs to promote a unified Tanzanian identity. Swahili is the country’s official language and, while other languages like Maa are not illegal, they’re prohibited in education and discouraged at political gatherings.

Tanzanian Maasai, then, who have been forced out of Ngorongoro are heading to areas over the border. This includes Kajaido County, where it’s possible to find land for their cattle to graze on. But, as McCrummen points out, there are other difficulties to overcome. They have to dodge wild animals as they search for grazing ground. Also, some Kenyans, who already don’t have enough grass, chase Tanzanian Maasai off their property.

Add in the detrimental effects of climate change, and Maasai—both Kenyan and Tanzanian—must compete with wildlife (elephants, wildebeests, and other large game animals) for already-strapped resources. And, considering the devastation caused by the three-year-long drought, more people and cows will put additional pressure on land in Kenya.

Our Values at WILK

We at Water is Life Kenya (WILK) have tremendous respect for Maasai, their traditions, and their lifestyle. As McCrummen noted, some Maasai go on to higher education or choose professions that are neither pastoral nor agrarian. But for the most part, Maasai are proud of their culture and many want to continue to practice it as they have for hundreds of years.

We at WILK have worked with Maasai herders and farmers for 17 years. We listen to their needs and respond by offering programs that have been adapted to their culture. Although we offer new ideas and techniques, we do not insist that Maasai change what they do to earn a living. Rather, we work together so that they don’t have to give up their traditional lifestyle.

While we’re distressed by McCrummen’s report, we’re hopeful that Kenyan Maasai will not have to face the same treatment from the Kenyan government. We regularly help Maasai apply for permits and applications, which allow us to build deep borehole wells and organize our Livestock as a Business (LAB) groups. We also helped Maasai widows secure their land plots after the revised Land Act by filling out paperwork and paying fees they couldn’t afford. Overall, there’s more to gain from supporting Maasai than from suppressing them.

The post From Home to Homeless: Displaced Maasai in Crisis appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

“Magis” at Work

On March 22, Water is Life Kenya (WILK) celebrated World Water Day by participating in a water walk hosted by St. Joseph’s University and its Beautiful Social Research Collaborative (B:Social). The walk, called “Magis for Maji,” combines the SJU motto of “magis” (live greater) with the Swahili word “maji” (water).

Students who participated in the walk paid a $15 admission fee and, in return, received a handmade Kenyan bracelet featuring SJU colors. The walk raised over $1,000.00, and all of the money will be used for WILK’s projects in Kenya.

Dr. Cheryl McConnell, SJU’s president, also walked with us. She talked about how such an event supported the university’s mission:

The St. Joe’s community understands that it’s more than words, that actions matter. And this is an example of a student organization and a program and a major putting words into action. And I want to support that.

https://www.sjuhawknews.com/sju-magis-for-maji-walk/

B:Social, B:Giving

B:Social teams up with nonprofit organizations and makes a semester-long project plan for groups of students to work on. Since last year, WILK has worked with the B:Social group. This semester, B:Social organized “Magis for Maji” and sold bracelets in advance to help raise money for the event.

B:Social is part of the Communication and Media Studies department at SJU. Dr. Aimée Knight, who started B:Social 14 years ago, leads the students in this group. Kiera Donohue, SJU student and B:Social participant, helped plan the walk in which more than three dozen students participated:

We’re trying to raise awareness through the Saint Joe’s community… and then send the proceeds back to Kenya to benefit that community.

https://www.beautifulsocial.org/blog/4acw2af0yc1sme3h8bqqj7goaqex63

Together, We Can Do “Magis”

We had a great experience working with SJU and the B:Social students, and we look forward to continuing this partnership. These valuable connections, through SJU and other local schools, help us show others how much our Maasai friends need our help.

You, too, can be a WILK partner! If you’d like to volunteer, start a partnership, or schedule a talk, you can contact us for more information. We love sharing our message and our work with others!

The post Magis for Maji: SJU Students Supporting Kenyans appeared first on Water is Life Kenya.

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.