Bringing clean water to soy, Kenya

Basic Dignities’ President Brittany first met Bishop Justus Wanjala in her hometown of Mt. Vernon, IL at a nonprofit conference. Justus had traveled to the United States in hopes of meeting people to help bring clean water to his community in Kenya, and Brittany was presenting about Basic Dignities. After discussing the needs of his community, Basic Dignities decided to take on the project and help Justus bring clean water to the people of Soy, Kenya.

Prior to this project, the people in this area got their water from a shallow borehole, which poses several health risks to the community members. Because of it’s shallow depth, the well dries up during the dry season in Kenya. This forces people to get water from a nearby river. The photo below shows the water quality in the river. During the rainy season, the well is plagued by fecal contamination. This is caused by local animals defecating on the ground and rain carrying the feces into the well.

After meeting with Bishop Wanjala and a site visit to the community, a design was developed that included a deep well, storage tank, solar powered pump and kiosk for people to access water. The system was designed to serve 500 people, plus a future school and church. The project was split into two phases. Phase one included preliminary sitework, drilling the well, installing the storage tank and kiosk, and flushing and testing the well. Phase two included installation of the pump and solar panels.

Basic Dignities provided funding and construction oversight for phase one. Construction oversight was completed by native Kenyan members of the Basic Dignities team, Teresa Wati and Stephen Juma. Teresa and Stephen worked closely with the contractor, Bishop Wanjala, and the community to ensure that construction was being completed according to the latest standards.

Their efforts were assisted by Millicent Nafula, one of the young women being sponsored by Basic Dignities Women’s Scholarship Program. Millicent is studying civil engineering. Her master’s degree will be in water treatment. After graduation, she hopes to help bring clean water to small communities in need in Kenya. While the well was being drilled, Millicent was able to watch the construction and learn from the contractor and our team on the ground there.

Drilling of the well began in June 2023. During the first drilling session, the contractor drilled to a depth of 110 meters and hit an aquifer. While this water initially looked clean, further testing revealed that this aquifer was not suitable for drinking water. The contractor returned to the site and continued drilling an additional 30 meters to make the final depth of the well 140 meters. At this depth, clean water was found and the well was sealed.

After the well drilling was completed, additional funds provided by Basic Dignities were used to assist with phase two. A 15-foot solar rack was installed, along with a few solar panels. The tank sits on this rack, with the solar panels above it as shown in the photo below.

Bishop Wanjala and the community will provide the additional funds needed for phase two. This will complete the water system. This will not only allow the system to be completed as quickly as possible, but it will also allow the community to feel ownership of the system, since they will have some “skin in the game”. When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert says, “The local people will typically have a better understanding of the best way to get the job done. Moreover, the entire goal of development work is for local people to take charge of their individual lives and communities”. In the instance of Soy, Kenya, we are looking forward to the community coming together and putting the finishing touches on their water system! Photos and videos of the finished operational system will be uploaded as they are available - stay tuned!