Kenya Water Project

The Water for Kenya project is a large Rotary Global Grant project that provides clean, sustainable well water to Maasai communities in the arid hill country of the western Rift Valley of Kenya. Many rural Kenyans have cell phones a few may even have access to electricity. However, 70% of the population has no sustainable source of clean water. They have traditionally relied on intermittent roof top rain collection and contaminated streams and ponds that they share with their livestock to supply their daily needs.

 The project involved installing a 8 1/2km pipeline system, five holding tanks that service water directly to five cluster villages, three schools and an orphanage.  Along the pipeline path we built five kiosks (water selling stations) where the people can gather daily to fill their jerry cans and water troughs for their livestock. The local community water committees operate the system now, charging 15 shillings (about 12 cents) for each five gallon “jerry can”. The system is sustained with the funds collected, which pay the electricity bill for the well pump operation.

The Kenya government water authority had to drill three wells (over four years) before they finally found a well with an adequate flow rate. The Rotary Foundation awarded $145,000 for this grant. Major funding came from clubs in District 7670 and District 5490. Rotary club of Hendersonville members (Bob Felt and Bob Soderstrom) spearheaded the project for District 7670.

The Rotary solution – Abundant, fresh well water piped to three schools, an orphanage, and five neighborhood water selling stations located in the village clusters