CLEAN WATER ACCESS AT THE CENTRE OF LOVE KIBERA

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.