CLEAN WATER ACCESS AT THE CENTRE OF LOVE KIBERA

CLEAN WATER ACCESS AT THE CENTRE OF LOVE KIBERA, NAIROBI, KENYA.

PROGRESS REPORT – 5^th  DECEMBER 2024

Project Title: Clean water access at the Centre of Love Kibera

GlobalGiving Project I.D:52248

The consistent access to clean and safe water continues to be a challenge for communities living in Kibera slums, Nairobi, Kenya. Structural challenges such as poor housing plans and poor water pipeline systems exacerbate this challenge. Also, the few existing water pipelines are not always functioning due to vandalism and water diversions. All these has resulted to inconsistencies in water supplies and contaminated water.

At the Centre of Love, we have employed various strategies in an attempt to address these challenges.  

• Supply of clean and safe water. The Centre of Love has been at the forefront in supplying clean and safe water both for domestic and institutions use. The presence of an ultrafiltration machine has ensured water coming from the mains undergoes a filtration process and then redirected back to the taps for supply. Also, the storage tanks within the Centre of Love are frequently cleaned and treated to further enhance the cleanliness of the stored water. This has resulted to over 2000 families, several churches and local schools have consistent supply of clean and safe water.

• Supply of clean toilet services – Access to toilets remains another challenge that greatly affects hygiene and sanitation of families and surrounding churches and schools. Poor and limited toilet systems means that a lot of wastes is disposed along roads, water pipelines and river. This creates a high risk of disease outbreak such as cholera. To address the limited toilet issue, the Centre of Love has provided six toilets which are open to members of the communities and institutions such as churches and schools. The toilets are well maintained and have adequate running water. This is a valuable resource to families around the centre as they can now access toilet services in a dignified way while at the same time promoting their health and clean environment.

• WASH Community Outreaches-In order to have a greater community reach, and increase the number of people having awareness on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene the Centre of Love organized several community events which drew the attention of different groups within the community. The events included:

o   WASH Soccer tournaments- The Centre of Love hosted three series of a soccer tournament which were held in April, August and November 2024.Themed “kick it for WASH” youths aged 15-20 from Kibera and the neighbouring slums of Kawangware and Kangemi participated in competitive soccer games. In addition to the games, the tournament event also included sensitization sessions where trainings on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) were held. Topics such as handwashing, disposal of waste, personal hygiene, environment clean ups and consumption of safe water were covered. The 2024 WASH Soccer tournaments has resulted to availability of 120(60 Male 60 females) water champions who are promoters of WASH practices in homes, schools, churches and the neighbourhoods they live in.

o   Women empowerment:

• International Women’s Day 2024 - The Centre of Love hosted over 200 women during International Women’s Day 2024.With women being at the forefront in using water both for consumption and cleanliness, the event created a platform where conversations on use of clean water, water hygiene, water borne diseases were held. This enhanced the women’s awareness on the importance of uptake of clean and safe water. So far, more women are reporting reduced water borne diseases within their families and a general improvement of hygiene within their families.

• Fashion and design skills training-The Centre of Love has been hosting weekly classes where over 50 women aged 18-50 have attended and have been trained in fashion and design. The women have as well been undergoing training on use of clean and safe water, sanitation and hygiene practices for home use and consumption. This initiative has further promoted the societies attitudes towards use of clean water and proper hygiene practices.  

• Engagement of key stakeholders- In order to ensure that the WASH community needs are being adequately addressed, the Centre of Love worked in close collaboration with the Local chief, Sub-chief and village elders. This has strengthened its presence and recognition in the governance structures of the community. Also, the Centre has worked closely with officials from the Public Health department to ensure its operations are legitimate and meet the public health requirements set by the Nairobi County Government.

The strategies highlighted above have been instrumental in promoting Water, Sanitation and Hygiene among families and the community at large. Through such initiatives, there has been improved health of individuals, cleanliness in the environment has been enhanced and there is a positive shift on the community’s perception on use of clean and safe water.

Appreciation

The Centre of Love appreciates all its benefactors who have supported it to actualize the water project. Through your support, families have consistent access to clean and safe water, families and the community at large have access to clean toilet services and there is a positive mind shift among communities and mostly women and youths towards uptake of Water Sanitation and hygiene practices as a result of the water champions initiative.

Thank you for all your generous support in 2024 and we look forward to your partnership in the journey of ensuring access to clean and safe water as well as promotion of sanitation and hygiene to residents of Kibera slums in 2025.

Felister Muthoni

Manager-The Centre of Love Foundation

Links:

• The Centre of Love Website

Progress Report - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

The Centre of Love has continued with its commitment to ensure communities access to clean, safe, and readily available water. This is key, especially in Kibera slums where there is low water supply in comparison to a high water demand. To achieve its goal, the Centre has employed several strategies including;

1. Water access points- currently there are two water access points i.e. taps that are each connected to 10,000-litre water storage tanks. This ensures that more people can access the water within a short amount of time. The water storage tanks have ensured the consistent supply of water and this has been a solace of hope, especially on days when there are water shortages from the main supply.
2. Ultrafiltration machine- The Centre has an ultrafiltration machine that filters water from the mains and resupplies it back to the water access points. The filtered water that is now safe for consumption is supplied to schools, churches and households around. This has resulted in a tremendous reduction in waterborne diseases among children and improved sanitation within households.
3. Community Toilet – Access to clean and safe toilets remains a key challenge in Kibera. It is not unusual to get one toilet serving over 500 people within a 100-meter radius. This shows that there is a dire need for toilets. The Centre has responded to this need by having 6 community toilets. These toilets are well maintained and have adequate water to meet their needs. The toilets are open to members of the public as well as schools and churches around. This is another way the Centre has been promoting sanitation and hygiene in the community.
4. Community Engagement- The Centre has gone a step further to ensure more community members are engaged in the uptake of safe and clean water and hygiene practices. This has been achieved through: 

1. Sports tournament- The Centre organized a soccer tournament that targeted 15-20-year-old boys and girls. 90 youths (45 boys, and 45 girls) participated and were empowered with information on hygiene practices at home & school, the use of clean water, and the conservation of hygiene in the environment. This created a community of WASH champions who promote hygiene & sanitation practices both in schools, at home, and among their peers. The sports tournament is a quarterly event and is held in April, August, and December.

1. Women empowerment- The Centre has been hosting more than 100 women weekly who come to learn fashion & design and entrepreneurial skills. In the process, they are also enlightened on the use of safe and clean water. This has resulted in more families getting clean water from the Centre which has ultimately led to improved health, clean homes, and good hygiene among family members.

Key achievements

1. Improved health, sanitation, and hygiene of families- Over 1,000 families have access to clean, safe, and reliable water for their daily needs. This has improved hygiene, reduced waterborne diseases, and improved living standards.
2. Improved access to education by girls- girls are primarily charged with the responsibilities of house chores. A good amount of their time is spent sourcing water. With the consistent supply of water at the Centre and ease of access, girls around the Centre have more free time to study and participate in other activities.
3. Community ownership is a result of the community outreaches through the soccer tournament and women's empowerment, more women and youths have embraced the water project. There are more referrals for other people to come get water at the Centre and the youths are now sanitation and hygiene champions.

Appreciation

The Centre appreciates all people who have supported it in making its mission and vision a reality. Through generous gifts and contributions, more families are accessing safe water for household needs, more school-going children access safe water in schools and there is improved hygiene among households and the neighborhoods. The Centre will continue with its commitment to supply water while simultaneously empowering community members on sanitation and hygiene practices.