ITF - Construction of a Water Kiosk at Patriana Educational Center
By International Transformation Foundation
The International Transformation Foundation- ITF is currently constructing a Water Kiosk at the Patriana Educational Center in Makongeni Estate, Nairobi, Kenya. The Water Kiosk will ensure that the school children and the community have access to clean and safe drinking water. Additionally, the availability of drinking water will promote student attendance in school and increase the enrollment rate. ITF is implementing this project through collaboration with the Global Development Network - GDN, after winning the Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project - MIDP 2021; under the category of Global Development Awards Competition; in the award’s edition of Quality Urban Infrastructure and Community Driven Governance.
Ongoing Construction of Water Kiosk
Ongoing Construction of Water Kiosk
On that Account, ITF identified the urgent need for a clean drinking water source at Patriana Educational Center. The school lacks access to a clean water network and currently depends on a 10,000-liter water tank that is refilled every month. This situation is exacerbated further with water rationing, which results in undersupply to both the students and the staff members. The insufficiency of clean drinking water cascades further to households within the Makongeni community, where residents have to buy water from water vendors or from neighboring communities.
10,000 Litre Tank at Patriana Educational Center
Patriana Educational Center is neither a private nor a public institution, but it is registered as a community school. Consequently, students learning at the school come from humble backgrounds, and their parents are unable to consistently afford the required school fees. While some of the children are orphans, others are living with HIV. What's more, most of the staff and teachers are community members volunteering at the school. During engagements with the school management, ITF observed that the lack of clean drinking water interferes with the students education, causing interruptions and low school attendance.
The same students reside within the Makongeni estate, which is home to about 35,000 people, but lacks access to clean drinking water. Occupants of Makongeni cannot afford to pay for water supply within the community and as such, the water pipeline was disconnected. For that reason, residents survive by buying water from water vendors whose main water sources are refill stations. Although this might seem like a solution to the residents, the nearest refill station is located in Shauri Moyo, which is approximately 10 kms away from Makongeni. Transporting the water is also risky, as seen from accidents that arise while cart riders cross the highway to, and from the water source. Furthermore, the water price is often tripled because of the distance and to cater for transportation charges.
The implementation of a water Kiosk at Patriana Educational Center will provide clean tap water to both the school children and the community members. The kiosk will provide a safe way to transport water and ensure improved hygiene facilities in the school. Additionally, the Water Kiosk will promote education and capacity development by encouraging school enrolment, increasing attendance in the school, and by encouraging entrepreneurial and leadership skills to the students. Day to day operations and records will involve 2 students managing the kiosk, where one receives money and enters the book records, while the other student is incharge of assisting customers at the tap. Consequently, the project will promote sustainable business management to schoolteachers and the community by providing sustainable income for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) activities at the school.
This activity is part of ITF’s projects dubbed ‘Join the Pipe’, which encompasses sustainability solutions by ensuring access to clean drinking tap water.
As the beneficiaries anticipate completion of the water kiosk at Patriana Educational Center, ITF is collaborating with the local community members of Makongeni and the school’s management, the city county of Nairobi, as well as the Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company -NAWASCO, to maximize the potential for the project’s impact.
GDN: “If you have a grievance regarding the implementation of this project or its future impacts, send an email to awards@gdn.int, or check www.gdn.int/awards/grievance for further instructions.
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