CLEAN WATER
Water is Life
Every day in rural Kenya, millions of people suffer from a lack of access to clean, safe water. Women and girls endure the greatest hardships as they are primarily responsible for gathering water. The negative side effects of gathering and drinking dirty water are broad and profound.
Since 2000, Path From Poverty has worked in partnership with our Kenyan Women's Groups to provide 10,000-liter water tanks to over 2,100 homes in the Ukambani region of Kenya. Clean water and energy are shared within communities, meaning that over the years our work has impacted the lives of over 25,000 Kenyans. Access to clean water is truly the first step to new life on the path from poverty.
Read These Stories of Hope
A New Beginning
Dorothy is a member of the Itulu Women’s Group. She was married at the age of 17 to a jobless man and had 10 children in quick succession. As the primary caregiver of the homestead, she was tasked with toiling the land for the family’s meals. When droughts became too severe she started weaving baskets to make a living because she could not grow anything in her garden without water. “My daughters and I had to walk very long distances in search of water for family use. It was very scary at times because we risked being attacked on the way and even raped or assaulted. My daughters had to miss many school days to help me search for water,” Dorothy recalls.
Dorothy’s life changed when she joined Itulu Women’s Group. “I saw the light at the end of the tunnel when I joined this group because I knew that eventually, I would be the proud owner of a water tank. We started saving for water tanks and PFP matched our savings. Soon the PFP work team from Seattle came to our region to build water tank bases and deliver the water tanks. I was among the first ladies to receive the water tank,“ Dorothy explains.
“The water tank has changed my life in inexplicable ways. I feel very empowered now because I can use the water from the tank to grow kale and spinach for sale and family use. I do not have to waste so much time walking in search of water and risking my life. I can utilize that time focusing on other ways to make income and thus become more economically empowered. My daughters can now focus on their education. Thank you very much PFP and Itulu Women’s Group for lifting my family out of poverty and giving me back my dignity.”
Providing a Lifeline
Jennifer and her husband married in 1985; at the time her mother-in-law was recently widowed and the family was extremely poor, relying primarily on subsistent farming activities on the family property. As her husband was unemployed, Jennifer worked hard on the farm to earn enough cash to cover school fees for her husband’s siblings. After their second son was born, her husband enrolled in college but they still struggled. At the time Jennifer’s only water source was walking to a nearby river several km away and carrying it back in 20-liter jerry cans. One day she slipped on the mud and broke her leg, she prayed that God would help her. Soon after she was able to purchase a small water drum to collect and carry water to her home. The family struggled through the birth of her five children and Jennifer had to work several basic jobs and work long hours for their survival. Two of her children are now college professors; three sons are married and reside on Jennifer’s land.
In 2009 Jennifer and several women launched a women’s group to plant trees in partnership with the Permaculture Research Institute - Kenya. In 2013, Jennifer heard about Path From Poverty and was referred to the Kisau Cluster leader, Susan Musyoka, where she learned about income generating activities and micro-savings. Jennifer now has two rainwater catchment tanks (one tank for herself and one for her daughters-in-law) and a solar panel on her property.
The Twone Mbee Group has 20 members with Jennifer as its Chairwoman. All group members have at least one water tank and are now either working towards a second tank or solar panel. Water tanks are distributed to members based on need: The first five water tanks were assigned to five widows in the group; the next five to impoverished families. Ten members currently have solar panels. Kisau Cluster members collectively decided to plant at least 200 trees, selling saplings for profit. The women also make sisal ropes and weave colorful baskets for sale at the market.
Jennifer is immensely grateful to Path From Poverty and its supporters – she credits the organization with the group’s ability to succeed and told us it has brought the whole community together. Women with catchment tanks assist non-member women by giving them unrestricted access to their clean water; they also offer solar energy to non-member women for charging cell phones, which are now a lifeline in rural Kenya.