Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are essential components of human health and well-being. WASH refers to a set of interrelated interventions that aim to improve access to clean water, basic sanitation facilities, and hygiene education to prevent the spread of waterborne diseases and improve overall health.

Access to clean water is fundamental to life and good health. However, over 2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water. Sanitation is also essential for preventing the spread of diseases. About 4.2 billion people worldwide lack access to basic sanitation facilities, such as toilets and handwashing facilities. Hygiene education is equally important, as it can help individuals understand the importance of handwashing, menstrual hygiene, and other hygiene practices that can prevent the spread of disease.

Improving access to WASH facilities can have significant impacts on health outcomes, including reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases like diarrhea, reducing the risk of infection from other diseases like COVID-19, and improving overall health and well-being. It can also have broader impacts, such as improving school attendance, especially among girls, and increasing economic productivity.

Efforts to improve WASH typically involve a range of interventions, including improving water supply systems, building sanitation facilities, promoting hygiene education, and establishing effective wastewater management systems. These efforts require coordination among governments, non-governmental organizations, communities, and individuals to ensure that everyone has access to safe and clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The United Nations classifies Kenya as a chronically water scarce country on the basis of having one of the lowest natural water replenishment rates, at 647 metres cubed per capita per annum which is far below the standard 1,000 metres cubed per capita per annum (UNICEF).

Estimates from the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) by WHO and UNICEF in 2015 show that 58% of Kenyans (83% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas) had access to at least basic drinking water sources while that 30% (43% of urban and 28% of rural) Kenyans had access to at least basic sanitation, including sewerage.

The total number of people lacking access to at least basic water and sanitation in 2015 was 19 million and 32 million people respectively. According to UNICEF, approximately 80% of hospital 10 attendance in Kenya is due to preventable diseases and about 50% of these illnesses are water, sanitation and hygiene related.

We live in a community where most of the diseases/illnesses affecting children and community are WASH related. They include Skin problems, Respiratory tract infections, Eye infection, Dental conditions etc.

Most residents depend on untreated surface water which they get from walking for a kilometre or more.

There are very few boreholes and we always experience conflicts among people because the waters sources available cannot serve the entire community.

Some families have no toilet facilities while others have unimproved/not up to-date toilets.

Objectives

1. To ensure that all children receive personal and environmental sanitation and hygiene education.
2. To ensure that caregivers access portable water through provision of correct knowledge and provision of good practices related to water safety.

What we have done:

1. Jiggers Eradication

Most of our beneficiaries were infested with jiggers and we have been able to reach out to them.