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 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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