How Accessibility to Clean Water is Improving the Lives of a Community in Northern Kenya

 

Khadija Ahmed at the water point at Ashabito, in Mandera. Prior to the drilling of the borehole and operationalization of the pump, the community would have to access water from a waterpan that was also used by cattle and other animals. this exposed them to waterborne diseases like typhoid and cholera. (CARE/ David Mutua)

Mandera County is one of the most water insecure counties in Kenya as indicated in the County Government’s 2021 fiscal strategy paper. Perennial droughts and the hot climatic conditions in the county have worsened the situation. In a survey conducted by Rural Agency for Community Development and Assistance (RACIDA) in February 2021, only 49.3% of all households surveyed reported accessing water from safe improved, or semi-improved water points. In Ashabito location, which has been one of the area's hardest hit, Senior Chief Jele Ali explains, “From the colonial days this area has always been quite dry. We used to have two dams which have since dried.” Located in a dry and hot area, the location has long sunny periods – with temperatures soaring to over 35 degrees centigrade on a normal day, and when it rains water would collect in water puns which led to the rise of new challenges.  In the community, the responsibility of fetching water is delegated to women and girls and accessing the water source was quite a challenge. “To fetch water from the water pun, we had to cut across the Mathenge shrub which surrounded it. This was dangerous because wild animals like snakes hid in there and would attack us,” explained 52-year-old Fatuma Abdi

Goats and donkeys drinking at a trough near the Ashabito waterpoint.CARE/David Mutua

As this was the only water point for many kilometers around, it was used by both human beings as well as animals, since the community rely on cattle for their livelihood. “Since our animals could only drink water here, we would end up getting sick from the water. Malaria was quite prevalent as well as water-borne diseases like typhoid and diarrhea which impacted our children,” Fatuma says. During the drought period, the situation was even worse, “When the earth pun dries up, we would be forced to walk over ten kilometers to fetch water at Guticha location or buy from water boozers which was an extra expense to us,” Fatuma narrated.

To tackle this issue the county government and CARE International in Kenya, through the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (Boresha) program, collaborated to find a lasting solution. “The County government drilled a 250-meter borehole and to allow access to this water, CARE International in Kenya, set up a solarized pumping system plus water storage and access points. This has enabled the community to get access to clean drinking water, Senior Chief Jele Ali says.

A 250-meter borehole drilled by the Mandera County government together with CARE International in Kenya. CARE/Kenya

“By taking advantage of the always available clean renewable energy from the sun, the pump draws water from the borehole to the take ensuring clean water supply throughout the year to the community. At the same time, water access points for people as well as for animals were constructed in separate places to ensure that there is no contamination of the water,” Salim Abdullahi CARE International Kenya M&E coordinator for Boresha program says.

Through Boresha Program, CARE International has constructed and solarized 11 water access points, with underground water tanks, in Kenya and Ethiopia. In Somalia, 4 water points have been rehabilitated and equipped with Genset. These water points directly serve over 125,614 individuals across the three countries.

Community member in Ashabito collecting water from it waterpoint. CARE/Kenya

The ease of access to water access is having a positive impact on the community in Ashabito. “Since the clean water access point is closer and consistent, we now have more time to do more for our personal development. We can now engage in farming as well as cattle rearing,” says Fatima. She now sells some of the produce from her farm that she was able to start after the water source was established closer to the village. This has increased her income enabling her better support her six children, to whom she is their sole provider.

 

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Funded by the European Union Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), the Building Opportunities for Resilience in the Horn of Africa (BORESHA) project is a 3-year 9 Months cross-border project (December 2017- November 2020) and March-November 2021. Whose overall objective is to promote economic development and greater resilience, particularly among vulnerable groups in the Mandera Triangle (area between Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia). The project adopts a community-driven approach to address the shared nature of the risks and opportunities in this border area. It is part of the EU's Programme for Collaboration in the Cross-Border areas of the Horn of Africa, providing over 60 million euros of investment to prevent and mitigate the impact of local conflict and to promote economic development and greater resilience in the cross-border regions. The consortium is led by Danish Refugee Council in partnership with World Vision and CARE International.