Project
Ingavira Primary School
Project Complete!
Ingavira Primary School was established on a small plot of land surrounded by sugar plantations and community homes in 1981. It’s a public primary school with a large number of students that perform averagely in academics. The area is noisy with motorbikes and tractors which transport sugarcane from farms to the West Kenya Sugar Factory across the road from the school.
The school has a hand-dug well which is seasonal. When it is the dry season, the well has no water. It has very little water during the rainy season, but pupils can not use the water for drinking or cooking.
“Pupils consume a lot of time going to look for water rather than being in class. Also, accidents happen on the road because the school is where tractors and motorcycles pass,” said Margaret Nambivi, Deputy Head Teacher.
Due to the rationing of water by the county, students wake up very early in the morning to go and look for water to bring to school. It is often not enough for cleaning the classrooms and washing latrines and makes them late to school.
Waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid, and stomachache are common and lead to absences as most pupils lack proper medication due to the high levels of poverty in the community. There are 1,248 people in need of a clean water solution in this area.
“The situation of water in this school has really affected us. We waste a lot of time looking for water instead of learning. This has greatly contributed to our poor performance in academics,” said Boniface, student.
What Your Support Will Do:
New Well
We conducted a hydrogeological survey at this school and the results indicated the water table beneath it is an ideal candidate for a borehole well. Due to a borehole well’s unique ability to tap into a safe, year-round water column, it will be poised to serve all of the water needs for this school’s large population, even through the dry months.
The school will help collect the needed construction materials such as sand, rocks, and water for mixing cement. They will also provide housing and meals for the work team, in addition to providing local laborers. We will complement their materials by providing an expert team of artisans and drilling professionals, tools, hardware, and the hand-pump. Once finished, water from the well will then be used by the school’s students and staff for drinking, handwashing, cooking, cleaning, and much more.
We and the school strongly believe that all of these components will work together to improve standards at this school, which will help lead to better student academic performance and will help unlock the opportunity for these students to live better, healthier lives.
Handwashing Stations
Handwashing Stations
There is currently nowhere for students to wash their hands after using the latrines or before eating lunch, let alone the water to do so.
The student health club will oversee the two new handwashing stations we will provide, and make sure they are kept clean and in working condition. The club leaders will fill the handwashing stations with water daily and make sure they are always supplied with a cleaning agent such as soap or ash.
VIP Latrines
Two triple-door latrine blocks will be constructed with local materials that the school will help gather. Three doors will serve the girls and three doors will serve the boys. All of these new latrines will have cement floors that are designed to be easy to use and to clean. And with a rain tank right on school property, there should be enough water to keep them clean.
Training on Health, Hygiene, COVID-19, and More
We will hold a one-day intensive training session with students, teachers, and parents. This training will cover a wide range of topics including COVID-19 symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention; personal and environmental hygiene; and the operation and maintenance of the rain tank, latrines, and handwashing stations. There will be a special emphasis on handwashing.
Our team of facilitators will use a variety of methods to train, including participatory hygiene and sanitation transformation, and asset-based community development. We will initiate a student health club, which will prepare students to lead other pupils into healthy habits at school and at home. We will also lead lectures, group discussions, and provide illustrative handouts to teach health topics and ways to promote good hygiene practices within the school including handwashing and water treatment. We will then conduct a series of follow-up trainings before transitioning to our regularly scheduled support visits throughout the year.
0.386702 latitude, 34.817267 longitude
H2O for Life is not a WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) project implementer. We have partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) implementing WASH in Schools projects around the world. Our NGO partners match funds needed for each school project. We also have a generous donor that provides us with an interest-free loan that, along with matching funds, allows for many projects to be started or possibly even completed before total funds have been raised. In rare situations we reserve the right to reallocate funds to alternate project(s).
Questions? Ask us at 651-756-7577 or info@h2oforlifeschools.org.
July 26, 2022
Ingavira Project Complete!
We are excited to share that Ingavira Primary School in Kenya now has access to a new source of safe, clean water thanks to the completion of their new borehole...
