We’re off the wheels – but where’s it all going?

The physical peddles of Amanzi Awethu! came to rest on July 23rd, 2012, in Nairobi, Kenya. In a way, that’s only when the “giving back” wheels really got going.

A few months ago, our partners at The Water Project said they’d finalised the plans for a new water resources project with the IcFEM team, based in Kimilili, Kenya. As we discussed in one of our earlier blogs (see Kenya’s Warriors for Water – http://wp.me/p26par-4L), we were very impressed with the IcFEM team when we visited them and liked the way they worked. So when The Water Project contacted us to ask if they could direct some of the funds YOU so kindly donated, we were only too happy!

The first few reports and updates of how the projects are getting along can be found through here: http://thewaterproject.org/community/profile/alex-antrobus

Essentially, this project is to identify sites where natural water sources are available, particularly natural springs and mountain streams. As populations increase and people and livestock visit these water sources more and more often, there’s a chance of them becoming contaminated and unfit for human use. So the IcFEM is trying to get there first, to put in short pining systems, natural filters and concrete “dispensers” to allow people access to the water without contaminating it. It’s an example of foresight that is so often missed – do the job now, invest in protecting the water today instead of trying to clean it once the damage is done!

The first spring (Kamburu) has already been completed, and the IcFEM report had this to say:

“The construction work on this site is completed, and the community is already using the spring. The committee is in place and has been empowered to take ownership of the project. The committee has been trained on water, sanitation and hygiene and on operations & maintenance.”

The last part is important and uses a fair share of resources – making the community responsible for the spring, teaching people how to keep water clean once they’ve collected it and school kids how to wash hands – something we still battle with. This process is harder than it sounds. Like any founder of a project, it’s scary to do, but you have to let the reins go at some stage.

Collecting water form the new spring station in Kamburu

The next site is in the initial phases: gaining adequate community involvement. This includes things like helping the community select a committee who can represent them in overseeing the project, the community contribution to its funding and its future maintenance and use. It also involves selecting a contractor to do the construction – either one from the local community or one who is willing to use maximal local labour. It also begins the process of hygiene and water use education.

The current state of the Kimakwa natural spring site.

Things have only just begun and a team from The Water Project will be visiting Kenya in a few weeks to be part of it all. Thanks to everyone who donated, this is your generosity at work! Need us to cycle 7 600 km again? To visit places like the IcFEM projects in Kenya, it would be our pleasure.

Rolling Home and Wrapping Up

We designed our route from Mt Elgon to Nairobi to include a couple of interesting spots in Kenya’s eastern Rift Valley. The first was Kakamega Forest, Kenya’s last remaining pocket of Guineao-Congolian forest which once covered central Africa. We spent a cool, rainy night in a dusty old Guest House at the forest reserve HQ before heading on for Kapsabet. The night’s rain made the compacted clay roads incredibly slippery, forcing us to ride cautiously but perhaps that’s why we saw so many monkeys, birds and butterflies on the way.

The invaluable pocket of history that is Kakamega Forest.

Kenya’s Warriors for Water

Kimilili is a surprisingly large town at the base of east Africa’s fourth highest mountain. Our purpose of visit to this slightly out-of-the-way spot was the IcFEM – Interchristian Fellowships’ Evangelical Mission. The IcFEM is a Kenyan founded  organisation that operates in a 90 km² area centred around Kimilili and is (among many other things) one of The Water Project’s in-country partners. When we asked to visit the IcFEM we met a warm welcome and abounding enthusiasm to show us what they do. A few weeks later, when we eventually arrived, their enthusiasm hadn’t waned a bit.

Extracting smiles from Kimilili’s school children was reassuringly easy