In many parts of Kenya, residents of rural, arid and semi-arid areas have limited access to clean and potable water. Whereas resilient adults may be able to persevere the consequences of consuming unclean water, for children, the results can be life threatening. Lack of access to clean water is the leading cause of death for children under five years old and this gets compounded especially when there are natural calamities or unforeseen disasters.
Ensuring that children in rural and arid and semi-arid areas have access to clean and potable water is a life-line. A revolutionary water purification technology in hand-size packets is giving these children- and their parents – access to safe water.
This technology is an innovation by P&G and is availed in four-gram packets, each with the ability to purify 10 liters of water. In partnership with Children’s Safe Drinking Water Program (CSDW) in Kenya, P&G is providing these life sustaining packets to the most vulnerable communities to mitigate and reduce child mortality and sickness resulting from drinking contaminated water.
Bethel Network is part of a collaborative endeavor including the Kenyan government, P&G, Child Fund, CARE Kenya, PSI, World Vision, Feed the Children and Save the Children. Since inception this collaboration has ensured provision of over one billion liters of clean potable water to over five million people including school going children.
In Laikipia County where Bethel Network is focusing its efforts, the communities we are working in draw their water sources from shallow wells, dams and plastic rain water storage tanks. All these are almost certainly contaminated surface water sources which result to water-borne illnesses especially to children.
Bethel Network is working in collaboration with grassroot organization Caritas diocess of Nyahururu and the Laikipia County Government to ensure access to safe water by making sure that these critical water treatment packets reach especially schools where children are particularly vulnerable. We have so far reached over 20,000 households and 120 schools. Community members and pupils are taken through the steps of how to use the packets in easy steps by our trainers and opinion leaders belonging to local structured groups who organize themselves with aim of developing themselves through economic activities and table banking.
- Collect and measure the water in a clear bucket
- Empty one packet of water purifier into the bucket
- Stir the mix and let it sit
- Watch the purification process including sedimentation
- Take another clean bucket
- Using a clean cloth, sieve the water into it
- Dispose the sediment
- Clean and safe water is now ready for consumption
- Although there remains a need of improving child-friendly water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, over half of the schools where the water treatment packets were regularly used, recorded a combination of reduced water illness related absenteeism and improved school attendance. Households also reported that hospital visits due to waterborne illnesses had drastically reduced. As a result, they were able to save money that would have gone towards paying for treatment especially for their younger family members who were more susceptible.
- The disease reduction burden to families and communities and the double boost to children of reduced water-borne illnesses and improved school attendance is an achievement we greatly celebrate and are looking forward to scaling up.
