If there was any time water was found to be in great demand was during the height of the ongoing corona pandemic. The vulnerable families were gripped by fear as the messages of wash your hands and keep distance became the order of the day. The question in their minds was “where will we get water for our use and for washing our hands from”?

The way the virus has been operating is a clear message to all of us that none of us is safe if our neighbor is not. Life has become hard for everybody and it is even harder for the poor, vulnerable and needy families in our communities who cannot afford clean drinking water, leave along adhering to the protective health and sanitation measures that Government has been put into place to prevent spread of COVID 19.

TVT reached out to partners to help emergency initiatives to mitigate the impact of corona pandemic on the poor. Davis and Shirtliff was one of the partners that offered to rehabilitate the Ngundune borehole in Tigania West and install a solar pump. This has enabled local communities of Ngundune to have access to water which is very critical for the required Hygiene in the fight spread of COVID19. The community has since come together to raise money to have water pipped to their homes. Those in the market are also being supplied with water from the same borehole.

There is a lot we can do when there is positive synergy among the partners. TVT partners have been very present in the fight against covid 19 by supporting various initiatives. Kitchen gardening is one of the ongoing projects which has not only contributed to enabling families to grow vegetables for their consumption within their small homesteads, but it has become a source of income for many. The project was supported by the Italian World Doctors association and the East African Children foundation. The project is currently supporting vegetable nurseries and distributing them to local communities at the TVT farm in Laciathuriu. Once again TVT has been able to demonstrate that a bright future for all of us in our hands. All we need is look around and see where you are required to make a difference.

Provision of Community Water Project

Most TVT Village projects are located in arid and semi arid regions, which are prone to draught every other year with severe consequences and loss of lives for both animals and people.  Lack of reliable sources of water for domestic, livestock use and irrigation is a major obstacle in the way of poverty reduction for rural villages in these areas.

TVT has therefore been working with various supporters in order to get a long lasting solution to the current problem of water in all its focal areas by sinking a borehole for each village. Poor sanitation and lack of water also contributes to high incidences of faeco-oral infections, infestation of warms and diarrhea diseases. Malaria remains the leading cause of outpatient morbidity in such areas. Problems related to poor sanitation will therefore be minimized by the availability of safe drinking water.

In addition, bore hole water has continued to enable villages to undertake green house farming and fish raring. The cost of sinking a standard bore hole for a village, with approximately 10,000 residents, with a pump and a  water storage tank, costs approximately  Kshs 2.1 million (US$ 25,000).  One such project has been financed by CNOOC, a Chinese oil exploration company operating in North Eastern Kenya, at a cost of US$20,000 for residents of Ngundune community in Meru North. Photos on the progress of the project are available in the photo gallery.

Post Implementation Project Management

The main objective of the TVT is to ensure that all community projects are sustainable by generating its own income to maintain the operating costs of the borehole. TVT will assist in establishing a community water committee to manage the project by charging a fee of a maximum of 50 Kenya cents per a 5 litre container. These collections will cover the salary of the watch man and equipment repairs and maintenance of the water pump.