Welcome to our Impact Blog!
Here you can find updates on the project your bottle helps fund, including maps, photos, community information, project status, stories, and more!
We are excited to announce that two more water projects have been complete as of Spring 2023!
See the impact here
Wekoye Spring in Shivagala, Kenya, complete Fall 2021
Wekoye Spring is the only source of water for over 600 people living in Shivagala. Community members have endured the contaminated water and difficult access point at Wekoye Spring for a long time. A few years back, desperate for clean water, the community tried to protect the spring themselves. But without the proper materials or technical expertise, they were unsuccessful in their efforts. Prior to the project, all that remained was a discharge pipe stuck into a small cement wall, but on all sides of the wall, the spring’s water was open to the environment, prone to contamination, and unprotected.
The environment around the spring was bushy, making it risky to access, especially for women and girls in the evening. The area in front of the discharge pipe was constantly backed up with several inches of muddy water, putting community members at risk of snakebites and bilharzia, both of which live in this environment. People here queued for long periods of time to fetch water due to the limited yield their wall and pipe were able to capture from the spring’s total output. This slowed community members down, as does the tricky and slippery access area. This wasted time could otherwise have been used for income-generating activities, home chores, or work on their farms.
Community members reported frequent cases of waterborne and water-related diseases, especially diarrhea and typhoid. These further drained families of their time, energy, and financial resources as they seek medical treatment. When it rains, the spring water became even more contaminated as runoff carries dirt, animal waste, and farm chemicals into the water. During the rainy season, cases of water-related illnesses in the community rise.
The Spring is now protected!!
Thanks to all who have supported AQUALITY, the spring now provides access to cleaner and safer water and reduce the time people have to spend to fetch it. Construction keeps surface runoff and other contaminants out of the water. With the community’s high involvement in the process, there should be a good sense of responsibility and ownership for the new clean water source.
Fetching water is a task predominantly carried out by women and young girls. Protecting the spring has helped empower the female members of the community by freeing up more of their time and energy to engage and invest in income-generating activities and their education.
With the donated funds, the community has also been able to conduct extensive hygiene trainings, including the importance of washing hands and brushing teeth, and even how to make soap.
Ultimately this project will significantly improve health, increase time children are able to spend in school, empower working women, reduce hygienic problems, along with many other critical benefits.
Be sure to tell your friends about AQUALITY so we can continue making an impact!
