Kenya

Samburuland

In Northern Kenya, the Voss Foundation is working with Milgis Trust, a local organization committed to conservation and environmental stewardship, to ensure that the Samburu people have easy access to pure, clean drinking water. The process begins by rehabilitating and covering the existing water holes, which are located far from the villages and were previously subject to regular contamination. Then, we install a solar pump and piping to transport the water from the well to a kiosk in the village center, with additional spigots serving the school and infirmary.

As a result, instead of spending time and energy traveling back and forth for impure water, the entire community has facilitated access to clean water at a centralized location. The village’s children and patients at the infirmary benefit tremendously from having water on-site, creating a cleaner, healthier environment for all.

Projects in Kenya:

Latakwen: Completed December 2008

Local partner: Milgis Trust

Project Type: Well restoration; installation of solar-powered pump, piping system to transport water, storage tank and ancillary plumbing.

Water access points: (1) Centrally-located village kiosk; (2) School; (3) Health Center

Funding source: VOSS

Notes: Just months after project completion, clean water helped save the community from an encroaching cholera outbreak. The advent of clean water also inspired local officials to double the size of the schoolhouse, now that more children are able to attend classes.

Swari: Completed January 2010