Water Is Life - Kenya Sites
Status Updates from the field
Imisigyio
Our deep well is a real success and has been operating almost a year. The tank and troughs are now being used by the local people, their livestock, and the occasional wild elephant. Women who used to spend all day fetching water no longer have sleepless nights wondering whether they'll have water the next day. Now they go to our well in the morning, return an hour later, and are able to get on with their lives.
Meshenani
The community is fantastic and highly motivated, but the first test pumping found that the water was too salty for even animals to drink. We got expert help to see if we could make the water drinkable. We performed tests on the water and a second test pumping with a pump of a much higher capacity but saw no appreciable improvement. Water quality problems block spending money on a pump and generator. We have had to abandon the site. We are seeking other solutions for getting water for the community.
Inchakata/Enkiito
This is a community of 950 people and 7000 livestock. Currently, people walk 38 km (23 miles) roundtrip into the swamp in Amboseli National Park for water. This is an exhausting journey with no protection against the blazing sun, and occasionally through the path of aggressive elephants. The people mobilized back in April of 2008 by registering members, collecting money from each member, and finding a geologist to survey for a site. They wagered that help was more likely if they organized themselves. Drilling of the site will probably be in late 2009.