Clean Water in the Massai Mara

Clean Water in the Massai Mara

Expanding Water Access in Narok, Kenya

The Rotary Club of Irvine is leading the effort to create a clean water pumping system that provides drinking water and water for cooking and sanitation. In addition to a pumping system, we are installing flushing pit latrine toilets and hand washing stations at bathrooms for the I See Maasai Development Initiative project in Narok, Kenya. Currently, 2,000 community members rely on the local polluted stream or have to walk at least 4 km to the nearest clean water source to retrieve water. They also are using unsanitary pit latrines in the dangerous bush.

Addressing Community Needs

The community currently gets its water from the Sekenani Stream, which is extremely polluted. More than 2,000 members of the community — including 650 children in the schools — need access to clean water for drinking and for sanitation and toilets. Additionally, some of the Maasai women are involved in a soap making project and want to expand their product line and production. However, their limited access to clean water currently makes this difficult.

A natural spring reservoir already exists at the Oldarpoi safari camp that can hold up to 100,000 liters of water. We will create a system that will pump approximately 20,000 liters of water daily to communal tanks in 10 villages. Consistent access to clean water will allow the existing women’s soap making project to at least triple its current production, increase its current monthly income of 10,000 ksh (approximately $100) and grow from 50 employees to as many as 150.

Training, Community Outreach, and Educational Programs

A community water board will be involved in the planning and running of the project. Each water point will have an elected management committee charged with the daily running of the water project. The committees are established through elections and traditional leadership structures within the community.

Training for community management and the operator will be carried out to ensure proper management of the project. The trainings will take place at the beginning of implementation to ensure active participation of the committee and operator. The committees are established through elections and traditional leadership structures within the community.

During the construction stage, community members will be employed as laborers and locally available materials like sand and rubble stones will be purchased from local community by the vendor. The water project will also employ members of the community as caretakers and operators of the
project.

Locally Sourced and Maintained

Supplies for maintaining and repairing the equipment can be locally sourced. The benefiting communities will pay for the water being consumed at each water point to fund ongoing operations an maintenance costs.

The benefiting communities will pay for the water being consumed at each water point to fund ongoing operations an maintenance costs. The project should generate income for a separate soap making project (villagers sell soap to the safari camps). A water bottling plant may also be installed at Oldarpoi Camp to increase long-term revenue available for sustaining this project.