Our Work

July 21-23, we spent 3 days traveling with the auditors, assessing some of the water sites constructed in the last year. They have been asked by the Government and the Church to assess the work LDS Charities is spending in the country in order to keep our tax-free standing. We traveled 7 hours west to Mombasa, then 3 hours south to Kwale where we had drilled boreholes, constructed latrines, and donated handwash stations to 20 schools. Two days later, we surveyed a site on the way back to Nairobi, where our contractor had worked with the communities to dig shallow wells, install pumps and cattle troughs to water their animals. This is one of the watering troughs. Livestock is an integral part of the economy here. Fortunately, 2010 has had a lot of rain. However in the previous 5 years there was very little rain and many animals died. One of our monitors lost all 20 of his cattle last year. Many times the water from wells is too salty for drinking but can be used for livestock, watering gardens, and domestic uses (washing clothing, dishes and bathing). This reduces the need to purchase water; they may be able to get by with the purchase of 1-2 jerry cans of water for drinking daily. If the village is lucky, water is sold in the market place by the jerry can (brought by the purchaser). Jerry cans contain 20 liters and the water can cost anywhere from 2-15 shillings (1 shilling = .012/US$)...not much by our standards, but a fortune if you have no income..which many do not. If the village is in an arid part of the country, the people may have to walk up to 10 miles to get water, a day-long and difficult task.

This is a picture of 2 latrines at one of the schools we visited (these are not latrines we built). You can see that if the latrines are not built on the proper foundation, they will not last. In this area we had contracted to work in schools, providing boreholes with handpumps, latrines (2 buildings: one for girls with 3 stalls, and another placed far away for boys with 3 stalls). The latrines have no seat, only holes. The community is asked to dig the large hole over which the latrine will be built. They will also provide the rock and sand which will line the hole. Then the contractor comes in to construct the building. It is almost as expensive to build a latrine as it is to drill and equip a borehole. you can see why it is necessary to pay to have it done right. How would you like to have been sitting in the latrine on the right when it collapsed?

Another element of providing latrines is teaching the community about the importance of health and sanitation. It is hard to be very sanitary in an area with no running water. The water is precious, and not always used for "unnecessary" functions. Bathing is not always a priority, and smells can be ripe. We also provide schools with hand wash tanks.

This is one of the pumps in a school yard that we have constructed. Fences, and locked gates are always a part of the project so that the water use can be regulated. The man on the right is Jonathan, one of two assessors with whom we drove in our truck for 3 days to examine sites. The man on the left is a member of the water committee. A requirement before we build any well is to have a group of people in the community who will be responsible for maintaining the project. The committee usually has about 10 members who are instructed in pump maintenance and in how to collect and save the money from water users to make future repairs. Most committees that we have seen have a woman as treasurer. Traditionally, women in Kenya are strong, carrying the water and wood, gardening, caring for the children. The men take care of the livestock.