63% of the individuals do not access to clean water which translates to about 750,000 individuals in Machakos. Everyone has the right to sufficient, continuous, safe, acceptable, physically accessible, and affordable water for personal and domestic use. Water is among the most fundamental requirements for life, historically recognised in both national and international priorities and targets, from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to Kenya’s National Development Blueprint, Vision 2030. In line with SDG 6 targets 1 to 4, Kenya in its Vision 2030 aims to “ensure that improved water and sanitation are available and accessible to all.” Achieving this calls for concerted efforts from the government, civil societies, business community and corporates to expand access to water services. The key challenge lies not in reaching those close to the existing piped networks or in areas with relatively high rainfall, but in reaching the most excluded especially in remote rural areas.
Rural areas largely rely on shared water points often at considerable distance, paying a higher price per m3 and spending more time in water collection or buying from intermediaries which pushes the price further up. For instance in Machakos, individuals travel for not less than 3 Km to fetch water. The impact of inadequate access to safe drinking water is most felt amongst the poor, creating a vicious circle of disease and poverty
In Kangundo Sub County, out of 10 major risk factors causing ill health, unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene were ranked as no. 1. Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid, and polio. Absent, inadequate, or inappropriately managed water services expose individuals to preventable health risks. Some 842 000 globally people are estimated to die each year from diarrhoea as a result of unsafe drinking-water, sanitation, and hand hygiene. Yet diarrhoea is largely preventable, and the deaths of 361 000 children aged under 5 years could be avoided each year if these risk factors were addressed. Where water is not readily available, people may decide handwashing is not a priority, thereby adding to the likelihood of diarrhoea and other diseases.
The task of collecting water is borne primarily by women and children in over nine in ten households[1]. With unclean water sources often over 3 kilometres from villages, these women and children are forced to spend an average of 2 hours each day simply finding and transporting water. The typical container used for water collection, the jerry can, weighs over 40 pounds when it’s completely full. Imagine how demanding it would be to carry the equivalent of a 5-year-old child for three hours out of each day. And some women carry even more, up to 70 pounds in a barrel carried on the back.
Kangundo residents, with financial support from Sweden Mission Council (SMC) and technical support from I Choose Life-Africa, put together a Strategic Plan abbreviated as WEALTH. One of the areas of interventions was Water, Sanitation and Environment. Under the Water, the community set a target to purchase and harvest water with 1,000 water 5,000 tanks by December 31, 2018. They called the initiative “Majimtaani”.
MajiMtaani Initiative Objectives
To provide safe and clean water to 2,000 households in Kangundo and Matungulu Sub Counties in Machakos by December 31, 2018.
MajiMtaani Initiative targets to support rural communities have access to clean, portable and sustainable safe water supply through water tanks. The Initiative targets to support 2,000 Households in Kangundo and Matungulu Sub Counties, Machakos County with tanks by 2018. This will result to us impacting on the lives of 8,000 individuals and especially girls and women who have to travel for long distances to fetch water.
Up to date, 25 households have purchased 25 water tanks of 5,000 litres. This means that the community has invested KES. 40,000X 25= KES. 1,000,000 (SEK 100,000) in just over 1 year! MajiMtaani Initiative has contributed 25X5, 000 =125,000 (SEK 12,500). This means that out of a total of KES. 1,125,000 investment, the community has raised 89% of the resources and only supported with 12%. The goal of the two Sub Counties is to have 2,000 households harvesting rain water by December 31, 2018.
Margaret’s Story
When Margaret heard of the vision, she decided to take leadership. She mobilized women groups’ leaders and developed a strategy for achieving the vision. Here is she has to say:
“My Name is Margaret Mutiso, living in Machakos County, Kangundo Sub County. I am a housewife, married with 4 children. In our community, accessing clean, affordable water is a nightmare. As the woman of the house it is my role to fetch water which I used to walk for not less than 3 Kilometres to get it. Last year, I Choose Life – Africa mobilized us to develop our community vision. One of the problems we all converged around was accessibility to clean water. We therefore came up with a flagship project of having 1,000 residents of Kangundo accessing clean, affordable and portable water by harvesting rain water through 5,000 litre water tank capacity. I Choose life – Africa (ICL) through MajiMtaani Initiative committed to match KES 5,000 for every KES 40,000 that the community mobilizes for water tank purchase.
I teamed up with my women group “Sisters of Mary” to be supporting each one of us every month to purchase the water tanks. Our members are 25. Each of us contributed KES 1,200 every month which totalled to KES 30,000. ICL would then add us KES 5,000 and we would purchase a tank every month. The individual whose tank has been purchased would then buy gutters and build a slab where the tank would be placed. This usually cost an average of KES 10,000. By March 2018, we had all purchased a water tank for our members’ households.
Now I can afford clean, affordable and portable water from the comfort of my house. The time I used to fetch water I now spend in my economic activities. This has also provided my children with ample time to read as I don’t need to be sending them to fetch water.”
Margaret Mutiso is one among the many lives that I Choose Life – Africa has touched through the MajiMtaani Initiative.
We need 1,975 water tanks by December 31, 2018. We have increased the amount of desired support per household to KES. 10,000 in order to be able to move faster. Even with that amount, the community will still be raising about 80% of the resources. You can adopt one household for water by contributing KES. 10,000 (USD. 100). We need 1,975 individuals who can adopt a household. Come, join us in making majimaani a reality. For when you do that, you indeed support life!
