Funded by Blue Planet Network, The Samburu Project will drill and install a shallow well equipped with a handpump in the Lauragi community.

Narrative

We surveyed 3 sites in this community before finding a viable location.

This community was chosen because of its high population, the distance they typically travel for water (10 km each way) and the fact that women and children in this community spend most of their day every day looking for water. The community currently takes water from TSP's Lbaa Onyokie 2 Well.

The water will be used for domestic purposes and livestock. Waterborne disease is likely to decrease significantly. Women will have enough time to participate in income-generating activities. The community hopes to increase their livelihoods through farming.

Hydrogeologist Joseph Kariuki recommends that this well be drilled 70 meters deep.

We had a good experience working with the Lauragi community during site selection.

  • Darren Van Soye
    • Visitor
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: completed Wed 17 Oct 2012, Over 11 Years ago

    Visit by TrekkingthePlanet.net

    1. This well was recently constructed (2011).
    2. This well includes a trough for young animals. (Keeps the animals away for the well.)
    3. Michael Lengima (son of elder) explained that the well is already making a big difference. More children are attending school. The proportion of girls attending has increased as well.
    4. Michael also stated that the kids are healthier (that they often suffered from diarrhea before the well was drilled).
    5. Finally Michael stated that the community spends more time closer to the village because they aren’t all out looking for water.

  • Lucas Lekwale of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: completed Fri 01 Jun 2012, Almost 12 Years ago

    June VIsit

    Routine Visit. Well is in good working condition.

  • Stephanie Ng of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: completed Wed 16 May 2012, Almost 12 Years ago

    Stephanie Ng's Visit- May 2012

    We arrived at Lauragi Well to find one of the wazees (or elders), Mr. Njongi Lemirdana, there with his wife and daughter. He began by saying that it is very much inspiring to see the people that brought this well come back and visit them; to him, it signifies that we are friends to this community. He conveyed that we will always be welcomed in this community.

    When asked who uses this well, Mr. Njongi answered it by saying that when he comes in the morning or midday, it is entirely crowded by women and they won’t let the men near the well. He said that the women used to walk all day in search of water. Moreover, the time spent looking for water was compounded by the fact that once they did find a watering hole, they would have to spend many hours for the water to collect to an amount that was suitable to carry home. With this well, it takes only two minutes for Mr. Njongi and his family to get safe, clean drinking water and 1 hour total (here and back) for the farthest person serviced by this well.

    This water is primarily used for drinking/cooking and bathing – more than two hundred people bathe near the well every day. In order to prevent the well from being contaminated, everyone knows to the pump the water from the well and take the bucket and go away from the well to bathe.

    Instead of having to spend the entire day in search of water, women now have time to go to the marketplace which is about two hours one way to sell and trade their livestock. They also spend this saved time to properly look after their animals and find firewood.

    Nr. Njongi continued by saying that this well has really improved their lives in many different ways. First, before this well, small goats used to wander around and get lost. Now, this well has become a meeting point- if the livestock isn’t at home, the owners know that they are at the well. Because of this well, no more animals are getting lost which is a huge financial gain for the community.

    Secondly, everyone is very happy partly because they are a lot cleaner. In particular, the older people who couldn’t go far to get water now are a lot cleaner and better able to take care of their needs. Moreover the community is healthier; no one is afflicted by diarrhea on a daily basis anymore. Before, they used to treat diarrhea with herbs but most people would die because they did not have access to clean water to stay hydrated. There are no more deaths due to diarrhea.

    Thirdly, because of this well, a nursery has been born which cares for more than 65 small children. In this whole region, more than 600 children go to primary school and the ratio of boys to girls is about even. Before, not many children were able to go to school but now the number has increased significantly. Now, the biggest issue facing the community is building a permanent structure for their nursery but Mr. Njongi acknowledged that without this well, they would not even have a nursery to begin with.

    Njongi summed it up by saying their lives are “cool” (i.e. all good) now that they have water.

    In terms of the condition of the well, Lucas pointed out that a week after the well was drilled this past August, there was a problem with the well. Fortunately, the drilling rig was nearby and it came to fix the well. Since then there has been no problems.

    Before leaving the community, Lucas had a lengthy conversation with Njongi, educating him about a situation with one of our other wells that got vandalized by another organization and urging him not to let anyone to tamper with this well.

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  • Impact Assessment (M&E) Phase Project completed on 7 Sep, 2011 Implementation Phase
  • John Nyagwencha of Aqua Clara International
    • peer
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: completed Wed 31 Aug 2011, Over 12 Years ago

    Visit

    I visited the project as part of our 3-day conference. This project is doing quite well and many people seem to have benefited. Keep it up!

  • Kristen Kosinski of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: in_progress Mon 29 Aug 2011, Over 12 Years ago

    Water Struck, Goat Eaten

    Another day of celebration for the TSP team and our new friends in the Lauragi Community. We hit water at 20 meters and drilled down to 70. A goat was slaughtered and roasted as a way to thank The Samburu Project.

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  • Kristen Kosinski of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: in_progress Wed 03 Aug 2011, Over 12 Years ago

    Red Tape in Well Drilling

    When Lucas went to the Water Resource Management Authority to pick up permits for our 10 wells, he first learned that the office was no longer in Nanyuki but had moved to Isiolo. When he finally arrived in Isiolo he was met with many challenges. For our previous four well drills, we have always produced the Hydrogeological Reports, an application and wrote a check and permits were given on the spot. Not this time! Not until this morning, 21 days after Lucas' initial visit to the WRMA, did we actually receive permission to begin drilling (still waiting for permits!).

    Lucas had to go back to EVERY community and get titles for the land we are drilling on. The challenging aspect of this is that no one "owns" the land in Samburu as it is the land of the community. He wrote agreements with the area chiefs, area counselors and key elders which stated that they were donating the land to the designated women’s group. When he went back to the WRMA with the Title Deeds, they then told him that he had to get a Constitution from EVERY women's group!!! Fortunately, Naibosho Women's Group in Wamba, an umbrella organization has representatives from all of the area's women’s groups. Instead of going back to ALL the communities again, he was able to use their Constitution. And lastly, a new association called the Water Resource User Authority has been formed. Lucas had to get three members of their committee to sign a letter saying that The Samburu Project has done a good job. Unfortunately, the three people who needed to sign live in three different places; Laikepia, Maralal and Archer’s Post which caused major logistical challenges.

    After Lucas spent week gathering the necessary materials and return to the WRMA office in Isiolo, it turns out that the person who is in charge was away for some time. Then, when he returned yesterday, after Lucas spent three days waiting for him, the computers in the office were down.

    All part of the adventures in well drilling...onward and upward!

  • Kristen Kosinski of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: in_progress Wed 13 Jul 2011, Over 12 Years ago

    Site Selection DAY 2

    Lucas Lekwale and Joseph Kariuki spent the morning looking for a viable well site in Nagoroworu and unfortunately did not have any luck. This afternoon they moved to a sub-location of Wamba called Swari where they found 2 viable well sites: Lauragi and Soit Elotimi. These sites were initially identified as 2 of the 5 wells in TSP's Wamba Area Wells Application #313. More information to follow on these two sites as we are expecting the completed well questionnaires tomorrow, July 14th.

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  • Implementation Phase Project started on 13 Jul, 2011 Preparation Phase
  • Kristen Kosinski of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: in_progress Fri 08 Jul 2011, Over 12 Years ago

    Site Selection DAY 1

    Lucas Lekwale, TSP Project Manager and Joseph Kariuki, TSP Hydrogeologist, looked at 8 potential well sites today and unfortunately they did not find a viable location for well drilling. They will be back in the field surveying on Wednesday, July 13th. Updates to follow.

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  • Kristen Kosinski of The Samburu Project
    • confidential
    Implementation Status: completed Wed 15 Jun 2011, Almost 13 Years ago

    Surveys & Well Drill Timeline

    July 1st - July 15th:
    Joseph Kariuki, TSP Hydrogeologist, will be in Wamba, Samburu surveying for 10 potential well sites, including Blue Planet Network funded Nagoroworu Wells 1 and 2.
    After a grueling day on Friday, July 8th and a challenging morning, we decided to move on from the Nagoroworu community as no water was found after surveying 11 sites. The great news is that we found water in Soit Elotimi and Lauragi this afternoon!
    August 15th - September 15th:
    TSP's well driller will drill and complete 10 shallow wells in Wamba, including Blue Planet Network funded Lauragi and Soit Elotimi Wells 1 and 2.
    August 23rd - September 4th:
    TSP Executive Director Kristen Kosinski will be in Wamba for the well drill, accompanied by Drop by Drop's photography team Rudi Dundas and Chris Majors who will be documenting the work of TSP and its partnership with Blue Planet Network. We will document the drilling of Lauragi and Soit Elotimi Wells 1 and 2.

Funded by Blue Planet Network, The Samburu Project will drill and install a shallow well equipped with a handpump in the Lauragi community.

Narrative

We surveyed 3 sites in this community before finding a viable location.

This community was chosen because of its high population, the distance they typically travel for water (10 km each way) and the fact that women and children in this community spend most of their day every day looking for water. The community currently takes water from TSP's Lbaa Onyokie 2 Well.

The water will be used for domestic purposes and livestock. Waterborne disease is likely to decrease significantly. Women will have enough time to participate in income-generating activities. The community hopes to increase their livelihoods through farming.

Hydrogeologist Joseph Kariuki recommends that this well be drilled 70 meters deep.

We had a good experience working with the Lauragi community during site selection.

Sustainability

Creating and measuring long-term impact

A well committee has been formed. The committee will establish a community fund to maintain the well and communicate with TSP when issues arise. A community fund will be established once the well is drilled and completed in August 2011.

Other Issues

Unusual and unexpected issues faced during project execution

In our initial application we intended to drill two wells in the Nagoroworu community. After spending 1.5 days surveying 11 potential sites, Kariuki concluded that a shallow well was not viable in the Nagoroworu community. It is always a great disappointment to TSP and the community when this happens.

The terrain is bad, therefore the community will have to work very hard to prepare a road for the drilling rig to pass through.

Impact

People Getting Safe Drinking Water: 855

171 Households @ 5 people per house

School Children Getting Water: 70

Lauragi Preschool

People Getting Sanitation: 855

Implementer: Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Funding

funded:
$13,000
Community:
$1,850
Final Cost:
$14,850
$13,000:
MSSCT

Plan/Proposal