No more two-hour pain of collecting water

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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

The life of Zipporah Thomas, a mother of 7 children in the Bartabwa ADP in Kenya for the last eighteen years, has been one of daily labour, gathering water up to 5 times a day, as early as 5:00 am, as late as 11:00 pm, only to get 5 litres, (a gallon) of water at a go. In addition, worrying that the water will be unavailable on arrival.

“There was a small spring in the middle of the present pan (dam), where we fetched water,” says Zipporah. “The spring was seasonal and when it dried up, I went to Kapsai spring, walking well over, two hours. I would come almost every 2 hours to get 5 litres, since the spring took far too long to recharge,” recalls, Zipporah. Fetching water for Bartabwa residents was a hit and miss activity, as waiting for water to recharge, meant that, others would often get the water first. “If you came at night and found someone had drawn water, you returned to sleep and waited another two hours to try your luck,” she says.

Every day, Zipporah started at 5am and returned home at 7am, again at 1pm, going back at 3pm and a third time, at 7 pm. The hopeless and helpless cycle, continued. Many are the trips she made for water, which was time consuming; neglecting important duties.  Her 12-year-old daughter Mercy, remembers how difficult life was for them, as children. “Attending school was hard those days since we often accompanied mum to the river,” she says.

That was before World Vision, came to their village, and joining hands with the community, built Kombo Kaboon water pan, which has greatly boosted the residents. Despite the past, Zipporah shares her experience of fetching water in the small dam near her home. “This water has made a huge difference in our lives and my children are now clean since they can bathe anytime,” she says.

We met Rael Makilap, a grandmother, also at the water point who confirmed the difficulties of days, before the pan was constructed. “Kapsai was such a pain. Long queues and water coming at a trickle was a perfect recipe for suffering,” she says.

Watching Zipporah, easily fill up her jerry-can in two minutes, at the new water source is a huge relief to the community. Thanks to World Vision’s involvement, the enormous task of fetching water, for the last 18 years, is finally, broken.

Families like Zipporah’s now have time to work their gardens and grow food and on concluding the visit to the Dam, her happiness was evident in her smile, as she walked home, carrying her water.

Mercy, who helps her mother collect water from the new water pan says, “We get water close by and life is so much better.”