Provide clean & safe water for 1500 women&children

Poverty Eradication Network ‘Provide clean & safe water for 1500 women & children’ project posted on Global Giving platform aimed at developing an integrated water supply project to serve about 1500 women and children affected by an acute shortage of water and water related diseases in Mutulani village, Makueni County in Kenya. The work was to include development of a Borehole, storage tank and water collection points. Women and children were to be trained and supported in hygiene, safe water use and water conservation. Other social and economic activities were also to be integrated including tree planting and vegetable production to improve on household incomes and nutrition.

So far the project has managed to raise over $4,000 out of a total of $30,000. This amount is way below the target amount. Based on the current funds raised the community decided to focus on providing water at a central location that will benefit the Mutulani primary and secondary schools in the community and relieve the students from fetching water before and after school, giving them more time for their studies and play time.

Towards this PEN and the MAWE community group in partnership with the school heads decided to purchase and install three 10,000 litres water tanks harvesting roof catchment water in Mutulani primary and Mutulani Secondary Schools as well as construction of a sand dam along the community’s main water source, Kyanduu River to reduce siltation of the main water dam which is the only main source of water for the community. The amount of water accessed has not been sufficient to cater for the community’s water needs throughout the year.

The target community was involved from the inception of the project however the community had different expectations; they expected the NGO (PEN) to raise the funds and implement the project and did not expect to be involved in the fundraising process. As such only the elite from the community (now working and living away from home) and few members mainly from the MAWE community organisation were actively involved in sharing the fundraising message.

We have learnt that a lot of capacity building for the community is required at the beginning of the project for them to understand that fundraising is a collective responsibility especially because it addresses their main concerns and needs. There is however potential for the community through the school set up to reach out to parents, relatives and other stakeholders through use if internet now that the primary school has an IT lab. The use of MPESA for donations and easy mobile applications such as facebook and Whats up can be used to send the fundraising message.
We feel that in the first instance PEN will work with the MAWE team and assign roles for managing and follow up of the campaign in the community and we shall assist in developing the initial campaign and in reaching out directly to donors who are likely to fund similar activities.

A major campaign involving all the stakeholders such as the community itself, school children, county government, and community elites within and outside the community will be created so that the project can achieve the desired outcome.

These lessons are being used to strategise a campaign targeting all the stakeholders and the use of various methods to ensure each supports the noble idea. The community is also being educated on the same to ensure its success through Mawe CBO