Help Fund a School to Access Clean Water in Kenya

August, September and October have been months for recollection, planning, strategizing and carrying out new needs assessments in the communities we work with. However, the most recent month has seen a more somber tone with an outbreak of typhoid striking several communities on the small island that we are currently working with. These recent events within our host communities have driven home the importance of careful conservation and management of fresh water resources on this fragile Island ecosystem.

The team have however not been idle – assisting to deliver valuable WASH lessons in some of the affected communities, developing plans for the installation of compost toilets in key areas, and moving forward with installing additional concrete bases for rainwater tanks in Moturiki. Visiting government health experts have highlighted all of these as necessary activities to help improve access to clean water, and help prevent any future outbreaks. This is all the more pertinent as Fiji experienced below average rainfall for the previous quarter.

As part of this work, staff and volunteers have also conducted the first stage of workshops discussing compost toilets with communities in all 10 villages on the island of Moturiki. This early stage, ground level approach is critical to the overall success of the project, and often invaluable contextual lessons are learnt – helping to avoid and navigate potential future complications.

There still remains a great deal of work to be done, with an excess of 20 concrete bases still needing to be constructed across Moturiki in order to guarantee the longevity of rainwater harvesting tanks. Our team are also exploring and helping to facilitate community access to government incentivized schemes for rainwater harvesting tanks. These tanks are a costly investment for a family and although we have already successfully installed, repaired or recovered in excess of 150 000L of rainwater harvesting capacity - a great deal additional storage will be required to ensure true water security for the community. This is where your generous donations can play a key role, helping to provide the materials and resources needed.

As always, thank you so much to all of our donors, volunteers, staff and community partners! These projects are only able to be as successful as they are because of your contributions. GVI Caqalai and the Moturiki community send a huge vinaka vakalevu (thank you) to all of you.

The GVI Caqalai Team