19th October, 2011
Drought response success brings water and hope to Kitui
As drought ravages the eastern provinces of Kenya’s Kitui region, the central area is enjoying a successful harvest.
Pumpkins, bananas, tomatoes and aubergines are flourishing in Mutito, whilst just miles away the neighbouring land remains baron and even the trees are dead. The difference? Wells.
“We have water,” says Joseph Kilemi, the chairman of Kyeni giant well project, in Mutito Division, about 100 kilometres from Kitui town, and one of the areas hard hit by the famine where hungry villagers have had to depend on erratic food rations from relief agencies or the government.
But thanks to a giant well, 15 families have food on the table, an income to take their children to school and a future full of aspirations. “AMREF told us that if we did the groundwork--dig, get the gravel, and pay the artisan-- they would provide us with the cement, wires, pipes, a generator as well as skills to run the well,” comments Kiteme, 35 year old father of two.
And although there have been setbacks, like the high cost of fuel, generator breakdowns, lack of proper pest control, a reliable market for their produce and general information on farming as a business, the members are optimistic that with a little push, they will soon be sailing high. In fact to show they mean business, they have just finished digging a fish pond as they hope to invest in fish farming.
“We have benefitted from AMREF seminars on sanitation, health and how to protect our wells by planting more trees,” says Kitemi.
Safe water boosts food supply
This is a tale shared by Esther Musyemi, the facilitator of Bidii group, whose shallow well AMREF helped build in 2009. The group that consists of 14 members, appealed to AMREF for help, because their families could not access safe water.
“We used to fetch dirty water from the river and our families were always sick. Plus, we did not have vegetables especially during the dry season so our children’s health suffered,” says the 49 year old mother of five.
Now that they have the well, life for them has never been better.
“We have been able to plant vegetables which we sell and feed our families on. Plus, waterborne diseases have gone down,” divulges Lillian Mutia, mother of four and secretary of Bidii group. On a good week, the group makes Sh2,000 ($20).
“Through the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project, we have been able to construct ventilated improved (VIP) latrines and classrooms, distribute dish ranks and provide leaky tins to clean hands. This has really reduced the incidence of waterborne diseases, plus latrines have pushed up attendance rates of girls who kept off school during their menstrual cycle,” says Perpetua Wetangula, a project assistant in charge of AMREF’s Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) project in Kitui.
To date, AMREF has managed to help dig more than 800 shallow wells of which 600 are operational, while also providing water storage tanks to the community.
If you would like to help AMREF continue to provide wells and other drought prevention measures to communities like Kitui, please donate online.
Read more AMREF drought relief success stories in our AMREF Kenya drought update.