Milgis School & Ilgwe Eldome Samburu District KENYA

Transcription

1 Milgis School & Ilgwe Eldome Samburu District KENYA 2013 Lene Maria for Rent Vann Water Project Photographs throughout the report are courtesy of Namdalsavisa. 1"

2 AT A GLANCE In 2013, Voss Foundation, Lene Maria for Rent Vann (or, Lene Maria for Clean Water), and Milgis Trust partnered to complete their second project in Kenya. The project included manual excavation of a well connected to a solar-powered water system pipe water to Milgis Trust School and the community of IIlgwe Eldome via 3 access points; training water watchmen on maintenance and management of the water system; constructing one new, furnished classroom and one new teacher house with sanitation infrastructure; and repairing the existing classrooms and facilities. The project enhances access to clean water and education for the benefit of approximately 186 students of Milgis Trust School and people of Ilgwe Eldome.. Local partner: Milgis Trust Project Type: Solar-powered water system Water access points: (1) community standpipe, (2) a school standpipe located next to the kitchen, and (3) a standpipe for the teachers Budget: $69, Funding source: Lene Maria for Rent Vann Funded: December 2013 (Phase I) / February 2014 (Phase II) Completed: August 2014 Photographs courtesy of Namdalsavisa 2"

3 KENYA Kenya is located on Africa s eastern coast, bordering Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Indian Ocean. Kenya has the largest economy in East Africa and is considered the technological and financial hub of the region. Corruption, ethnic conflict, the need for infrastructure improvements, and high import demands are challenges for the country. Despite economic success, economic inequality pervades. Almost half the population lives below the poverty line and unemployment is high. There is a great deal of work to be done to ensure basic needs are met throughout the country, including water, sanitation, and hygiene. According to the Joint Monitoring Program s 2014 estimates, 38% of the total population still lacks access to an improved water source, and 44% uses an unimproved sanitation facility. In rural Kenya these figures are higher. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation has implications for other sectors of development like gender equality. Women still lag behind men, especially with respect to higher education, access to the labor market, and land rights. However, there are many reasons to be optimistic about Kenya s future. Primary and secondary school enrollment doubled in the last 50 years, life expectancy of the average Kenyan has increased, and infant mortality has been halved. To ensure ongoing development, prudent government management, improvements in infrastructure, and mitigating ethnic conflict will be paramount. 3"

4 LOCAL PARTNER: MILGIS TRUST The Milgis Trust was established in 2004 as a result of growing insecurity leading to the poaching of wildlife and over-extraction of declining natural resources. Its mission is to sustain the wildlife, habitat and the pastoral peoples way of life in northern Kenya. Milgis Trust s core area is located in northern Kenya within the drainage of the Matthews Range, Ndoto Mountains and Kirisia Hills, spreading further north towards Oldonyo Mara, Mount Nyiru and Mount Kulal. The Trust s covers approximately 8,000 square kilometers and supports a diverse range of flora and fauna, and the pastoral livelihoods of several different nomadic tribes including the Samburu, Turkana and Rendille. Voss Foundation and Milgis Trust have been working together since Milgis Trust is Voss Foundation s longest-standing implementing partner. The Milgis School and Ilgwe Eldome was Voss Foundation s water system with Milgis Trust. Milgis Trust s continued presence on the ground sustains this productive relationship and encourages and promotes the successful implementation of our projects. 4"

5 FUNDING SOURCE: Lene Maria for Rent Vann " Lene Maria for Rent Vann, Norwegian for clean water, is a global grassroots initiative to honor the memory of Lene Maria Bergum, who was killed in the shooting attack on Utøya, Norway in July Her family chose to build a water project in Sub-Saharan Africa with Voss Foundation in Lene Maria s name. They felt this was the way she would want to be remembered. The Lene Maria for Clean Water campaign reached its initial fundraising goal in summer 2012, engaging unprecedented local support and decided to continue raising funds to support additional projects. We are seeing a very large commitment, and we cannot give up now. Therefore, we have chosen to continue working. says Tove Bergum. The campaign has funded 4 sanitation facilities and 15 water access points in 8 communities in Kenya and Liberia. Voss Foundation would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has donated. For more information, please visit 5"

6 MILGIS SCHOOL AND ILGWE ELDOME " Prior to completion of the solar-powered water system from Milgis School and the community of Ilgwe Eldome, the only sources of water people had access to were the shallow, open wells and dams. As a result, many families traveled over 5km or up to 3 hours, to collect water. According to Moses, Milgis Trust s Ground Manager, people could [also] spend as long as 5 hours waiting [to fill their jerry cans] depending on the number of livestock getting water at the source. Now, the solar water system provides water to upwards of 2,000 people, and the majority of families travel less than 2km, or as few as 20 minutes, to collect water, and often wait for as few as ten minutes. Reducing the distance people have to walk to collect water has enabled people to collect more water on a daily basis. Moses said that before families could use [as little as] 10 liters per day as they rationed the use only for drinking and cooking. Now, families use up to 40 liters a day as they also wash clothes with it and even bathe at home. " In addition, Moses explained that the community used to share the water source(s) with livestock and wild animals animals used to go into the water and drink while standing in it, which [contaminated it]. Now, the water source is protected (covered, and cannot be contaminated. Water is also collected from stand pipes so no buckets are thrown into a source contaminating it. Since there is a standpipe located on school premise, children do not have to collect water every day before they come to school, and can also bring water home with them, which will allow more time for learning. 6"

7 BUDGET: MILGIS SCHOOL & ILGWE ELDOME 7"

8 VOSS FOUNDATION 236 West 30th Street 12th Floor New York, NY USA tel Odins gate 21 NO-0266 Oslo Norway Tel "