A Glimpse into the Future ??

WILK Wednesday: Volume 20

You may have asked yourself: What happens in a community once WILK is finished a water project?

Each of our projects ends with a handover ceremony. This is when the locally elected Water Management Committee officially accepts responsibility for their water project. It’s now on them to manage the borehole, solve problems, and lead the way for future development.

That is, if they choose to.

In this edition of WILK Wednesday, we’re providing an update on the smashing success and final push of our Lositeti Flash Campaign. We’re also taking a deep dive into the Enkong’u Narok Community Borehole—a project whose leaders chose excellence since their handover ceremony almost 10 years ago.

Where in the World is Joyce?

Knocking the dust off my hands, clothes, shoes, and socks at Esukuta!

The rain was patchy earlier this year. Some places received good rain, bringing back green grass and bushes. In other places, like Esukuta, it didn’t rain at all.

Our team was there with Charity, Michael, and their boys, Michael Jr. and Nathan, as they completed their tree-planting service project. We couldn’t resist helping out! We’re all still recovering from long days of wind blowing dust onto our sweaty, smiling faces, so we’ll tell you all about it once we’ve recovered. Stay tuned for future WILK Wednesdays!

Like so many of our communities, Esukuta is resilient. Their borehole is running well, with good leadership and reliable members. Even during the drought, they are holding their heads a little higher.

This is only possible because all of YOU who helped them all those years ago.

We are so grateful for you,

Joyce Tannian

Co-Founder & Executive Director

Lositeti Flash Campaign Update

Our community of givers is so strong.

We’d like to thank all those who’ve donated to the Lositeti Flash Campaign so far. In just a few weeks, tens of thousands of dollars from places around the world have been given to empower this community.

We’re only $5,000 away from of our goal of $80,000!

You can help make history for Lositeti. Any amount you can give is deeply appreciated, both by this community and by us.

Together, we can do this!

Visit waterislifekenya.org/lositeti to make your most generous contribution and see how many others have donated.

Project Update: 9 years later at the Enkong’u Narok Community Borehole

We recently stopped by the Enkong'u Narok Community Borehole, which was drilled in 2014. We were amazed at the resourcefulness and ingenuity of its management committee. After almost ten years, the people here are flourishing, not only because this well produces enough clean water for people but for their livestock, too.

Unlike most of our projects, the water table at this site is higher. Enkong’u Narok means “black spring,” named for a nearby swamp frequented by local animals. This water is not fit for human consumption but is used often by livestock. Before any wells had been drilled in this area, people had to rely on contaminated swamp water for sustenance.

However, the high water table allowed for some shallow wells with hand pumps to be installed before we arrived. Our borehole was necessary, though, because these hand pumps never had enough water output for livestock which, in recent years, began getting sick by drinking the “black spring” water.

During the drilling of this project, the drill hadn’t gone fifty feet when water gushed out of the ground. In the end, this borehole produced an output of over 10,000 gallons of clean water an hour, making it the most productive well we ever drilled.

Originally, we weren’t sure how this project would evolve. After our borehole was drilled, water from the shallow wells was still being used more than water from the borehole. The usage was so light that we even thought of downsizing the generator. However, the shallow wells didn’t have troughs for livestock to drink.

Cows are central to Maasai culture, but before we drilled the borehole they also were subjected to the dirty swamp water. (To learn more about what cows mean to the Maasai, you can read more on our blog here). Everything changed once the cows got a taste of the fresh, cold borehole water at Enkong’u Narok—which everyone agrees is exceptionally tasty. The cows loved the water so much, in fact, that they began refusing to go to the swamp; the only water they would drink was at the borehole.

These cows became picky for a reason. After drinking the mineral-rich borehole water, they became healthier and started earning people more money. Now, 800 cows—including those owned by our Co-Founder, Joseph Larasha—are registered at this borehole.

And it’s no surprise that the health and welfare of the people in Enkong’u Narok has improved dramatically, too. Profits from borehole use are being invested back into the community. The Water Management Committee applied for a grant from the local government to invest in a 50,000-liter storage tank that was built by the county. Hand pumps and shallow wells have also been installed, including near a primary school, which increases the benefits reaped by everyone in the community.

We can’t anticipate what decisions a water management committee will make once the borehole has been handed over. But it is clear that some communities, like Enkong’u Narok, will make the most from their opportunities. It’s our hope that each new borehole we drill, including the one in the works at Lositeti, will provide community leaders the opportunity to help as many people as possible once the water turns on.

So, what’s in store for Lositeti and the other communities we’ll get to know in the future? Those stories are yet to be written.

But we know this for certain—their future is bright.

With support from you, our community of givers, they will have a chance to bloom. ??

Yours in service,

The WILK Team