The Kenyan Water Project Update

People in the Masii region of Kenya are desperate for clean water.

That’s why the Kenyan Children’s Fund (KCF) has launched the Kenyan Water Project. The goal is to raise $90,000 to pay for a community borehole and tap system that would bring clean water to more than 7,000 poor people in the Masii region, which is home to children who are supported by donations to the KCF.

The water project and its costs will be in addition to the ongoing costs of supporting the health, nutrition and education of children in the region.

“Providing a sustainable source of potable water to the area would eradicate water-borne diseases, which sicken adults and kill one child every 20 seconds in the world today. Plus, it would allow the children to attend school rather than spend their days walking miles to fetch water that is tainted,” says Dr. John Helgesen, project leader and co-founder of the KCF.

“We are committed to the project, and are confident that we can rely on the goodness of God and the justice in the hearts of the people of God to bring it to fruition,” he adds.

Progress to Date

In partnership with the KCF, Water Missions International already has completed a hydrogeological survey report and geophysical site investigations for the borehole and taps. Those studies, which were funded by a special $2,000 donation to the KCF:

• Concluded that the project area is not connected to any water supply system, and that residents depend on scooping water from the Thwake riverbed or fetching it from earth dams that dry up during prolonged drought periods.
• Revealed that a suitable borehole site exists that would yield about 2,000 to 5,000 liters of quality but slightly mineralized water per hour.

Based on those findings, and on their desperate need for clean water, community members in the Mamiloki village of Masii have agreed to allow a borehole to be drilled in any area in which quality water could be found.

“The $90,000 budget includes assessment, project design and approval, construction and installation, community education, and monitoring and evaluation,” John explains. “But the project is priceless to our brothers and sisters in Masii.”