EWB UMass Kenya Program

Friday, March 27, 2009

Come out and help us raise enough money to travel to Kenya again this summer!

Namawanga Project: The village of Namawanga, with 3,000 residents, relies on inefficient water sources that are scattered throughout the 12.5 square mile area. Residents travel up to two miles to collect water every day. An assessment trip in March 2006 showed that the village water sources are contaminated and cannot support the village during the dry season. The objective of this project is to design a safe and sustainable water supply that is environmentally conscious, socially equitable, and economically feasible. Since the first trip in 2006 we have traveled to Namawanga four times to work with the village. A major focus of the work has been to protect primary water sources from contamination by constructing fencing and performing drainage control. In the Fall of 2009 after help from many sponsors (especially the Rotary in Westfield, MA) we had a well drilled in the village which is now supplying a clean, centrally located water supply for over 1,000 residents. We are continuing our work with Namawanga and hoping to extend our work to neighboring villages in Western Kenya.