Compassion International Child Development Center KE781, Kiio, Kenya

$59,276: Funded December 24, 2012. Completed Fall 2013.

BEFORE: The beneficiaries of our 2012 campaign are 3000 residents of Kitui County Mwingi District Northeast of Narobi Kenya, which includes 232 children who are registered in Compassions Kiio GFCB Child Development Center.  Most of the adults in this rural community work as subsistence farmers or petty traders earning approximately $25 per month.

Most families here depended on rain water runoff, and water from ponds and streams. In times of drought, water is gathered from hand-dug wells, which means residents must awake at 3 a.m. and wait in line or hours for water before the supply runs out. The Compassion center spends much of its limited budget purchasing water from these unreliable sources and subsequently encounters high medical expenses treating children who fall ill from contaminated water.

A competent and reputable contractor will be engaged and hired in drilling the borehole and the church partner is committed to ensure the activity is conducted and completed as agreed. Water infrustructure at the church compound will be constructed to supply water to various places including the wash rooms for sanitation. The activity will immediately start after the funds are available. A total of $62,151 USD is needed for the successful completion of the activity. The local church has prepared to locally contribute USD $2,875. This proposal seeks to raise $59,276.

BUDGET DETAILS

TOTAL COST

LOCAL RESOURCES

AMOUNT NEEDED

Survey and Permits

$   9,115

$0

$   9,115

Equipment and Drilling

$10,156

$0

$10,156

Installation and Materials

$15,118

$0

$15,118

Development and Testing

$  2,352

$0

$  2,352

Plumbing and Finishing work

$23,674

$2,875

$20,799

Sustainability Monitoring

$  1,736

$0

$  1,736

TOTAL COST

$62,151

$2,875

$59,276

OBJECTIVES & IMPLEMENTATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

  • Provide 232 children, 12 staff, and approximately 2000 residents of Kiio with access to safe, affordable drinking water and sanitation education.
  • Minimize the spread of disease and improve hygiene standards, not only at the Compassion center but in the community as a whole.
  • Enable the partnering church to generate income by selling the water at approximately 50% less than its local market value for the purpose of making the water well self-sustainable (financing upkeep and repairs) and ensuring that the water supply will be available for generations to come. This microenterprise will also serve to educate beneficiaries about the value of clean water and prevent waste and misuse.

THE SOLUTION

Drilling a well and installing a water filtration plant in Kiio will sove both water and health problems in the community. Supporting a water project at Kiio GFCB Student Center will provide equipment, maintenance, and training for the partner church. The water plant will have the capacity to eliminate pollutants and bacteria from water sources. A water purification system includes: Equipment, drilling, installation, infrastructure to keep and house the water purification system, and training and technical support.

kenyaAFTER: Through the construction of a borehole well near the Kiio GFCB Child Development Center, you have provided access to safe water for 232 Compassion-assisted children, their families, and more than 2,000 community members. Thank you! Your support has empowered a struggling area with a valuable resource: safe drinking water. This intervention was completed with great success and has resulted in healthier lives, stronger economies and brighter futures for Kiio’s children.

A NEED ADDRESSED

Thanks to your donations, easy access to safe drinking water has transformed an entire community. Children who once suffered from diarrhea and intestinal infections are now healthy, and the community is no longer burdened by the expense of medical care to treat waterborne diseases. Likewise, mothers who once walked for hours to collect unsafe water now have access to safe water just minutes from their homes. This simple convenience has drastically changed their day-to­ day lives.

One mother who was affected by this intervention is 28-year-old Elizabeth Mwikali Nzoka. She used to wake up at 4 a.m. during the dry season to walk 3 miles to collect water for her three children. It was a burden she had to bear, but thanks to you it is no longer.

  • Involving local authorities in mobilizing and educating the community about the water project.
  • Drilling a 590-foot deep borehole
  • Testing and analyzing the water to determine that it is fit for human consumption .
  • Equipping the borehole well with a pump
  • Digging trenches and laying more than half a mile of

Together, these accomplishments mean 232 Compassion-assisted  children, their families and 2,000 community members now have easy access to safe water. They no longer have to drink water that makes them sick, and they no longer have to face the dangers of a long walk to reach unreliable water sources. Now they are free to enjoy happier, healthier lives.

CHALLENGES

The project was scheduled to be implemented within nine months -this included three months for a hydro-geological survey and environmental impact assessment, three to six months for drilling and civil works, and at least two months for testing. However, the first phase -the survey and assessment -took three months longer than expected.

Though Compassion Kenya attempted to make up this time, and though drilling the well took just one month, the civil works and testing phase could not be completed in the remaining two months. The project timeline was extended by four months, moving the completion date to April 2014. This allowed sufficient time for completing the well and proper testing.

OUTCOMES

A major outcome sought through this project was to reduce the prevalence of health and hygiene issues in children related to drinking contaminated water. In the past, considerable funds were spent treating children with diarrhea. We are happy to report that the project anticipates the new access to safe water will go a long way toward reducing these infections by more than 80 percent. Families and the Compassion center will no longer face expensive medical bills from waterborne diseases.  Other cost-savings will come from no longer having  to purchase water to use for center activities.

This new access to clean water also led to another positive financial outcome. The local church is in the process of acquiring land for irrigation farming. Thanks to access to water, the church will be able to grow vegetables year round–particularly,  vegetables  that are scarce in the village. This horticultural project also will er ate educational opportunities for registered children as they learn about farming and irrigation methods.

In addition to economic progress, the project also has raised the local church’s profile. Its involvement was a sign of solidarity to families who have benefited from access to safe water In light of the positive response from the community, the church plans to increase its involvement in future development projects.

Jonathan Sompisha, Project Director of Kiio GFCB Child Development Center, explains: “We are very happy and excited about the work here; there has been a transformation of lives in Kiio Community. The mothers have stopped worrying so much about water and instead are concentrating more on other activities. We expect hospital visits due to waterborne diseases to reduce dramatically as well as incidences of child abuse since the children will now be accessing safe water from a nearby source.”

THANK YOU

Heartfelt thanks to all of our donors, for demonstrating Christ’s love in such a tangible way by funding this important project. Ensuring that children and their families have access to safe water is one of the most critical components in Compassion’s holistic approach to releasing children from poverty, and your gift has ensured that the children of Kiio are much healthier and safer. We appreciate your ongoing partnership as we continue to care for children in Kenya and around the world.

TESTIMONIALS

“Right now I am very happy because I have easy access to safe water from the church,” Elizabeth says. “For me, this is a miracle. I am confident that the lives of my children will be very different from mine. When I was younger, we always went to school late and at times even missed school completely because we had to collect water before going to school. My children will not go through that because we can easily collect water now.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We’re grateful that your partnership with Compassion has provided access to safe water through drilling a borehole well -transforming the health, economy and happiness of an entire community. This successful project involves:

  • Conducting a hydrological survey to identify the most appropriate site for the borehole well and obtaining permission from the landowner to drill on the property. 
  • Obtaining relevant permits and licenses through Kenya’s Water and Resources Management
  • Conducting and submitting an environmental impact assessment to Kenya’s National Environmental
  • Involving local authorities in mobilizing and educating the community about the water project.
  • Drilling a 590-foot deep borehole
  • Testing and analyzing the water to determine that it is fit for human consumption .Equipping the borehole well with a pump.
  • Digging trenches and laying more than half a mile of pipe.Together, these accomplishments mean 232 Compassion-assisted  children, their families, and 2,000 community members now have easy access to safe water. They no longer have to drink water that makes them sick, and they no longer have to face the dangers of a long walk to reach unreliable water sources. Now they are free to enjoy happier, healthier lives.

CONCLUSION

Together, these accomplishments mean 232 Compassion-assisted  children, their families, and 2,000 community members now have easy access to safe water. They no longer have to drink water that makes them sick, and they no longer have to face the dangers of a long walk to reach unreliable water sources. They are now free to enjoy happier, healthier lives. God bless you!