Kisii county is a very small region in West Kenya, suffering from prolonged drought conditions, in common with large parts of East Africa. Some of the people in the rural areas are forced to walk over 5 kilometres to get clean drinking water every day, with a 20 litre drum on their head. Some have walked this distance to find that the water is contaminated and have ended up in hospital. See some of the “before” pics below:
Irish Eyes is a small NGO based in this area of Kenya; they recognised this situation and decided to do all they could to help the people of Kisii. With the help of local communities they identified 5 locations to build large water points on existing springs that could help provide clean, safe drinking water for people within a 30 kilometre radius. The only problem they faced was the expense of the project.
From the proceeds of our Water Bucket Appeal, ElectricAid donated €3,000 to fund three of the springs entirely. This is remarkable value for money – thousands of lives can be transformed for modest amounts of well-targeted funding. Our Irish Eyes contact in Kenya, Jim Caulfield, has 20 years of experience in delivering cost-effective water and education projects in Kenya, and has been recognised with an MBE for his service s to the poor and the marginalised. The springs have been developed in the rural communes of Riamakori, Ojwando, and Riokeiga. One of these communities was so enthused by their new spring that they held an official opening, with dancing, singing and speeches from dignitaries – all as a result of your response to our Water Bucket Appeal.
See some “after” images below:
So often YOU make such a BIG difference with what is for US a small gesture.
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