





Project Info
Project Description
LOCATION
Turkana and Isiolo counties, Kenya
PROJECT PARTNERS
CRS (Catholic Relief Service) Kenya
PROJECT DURATION
June 2021 – August 2022
CHALLENGE
In developing countries where 80% of illnesses are due to poor water and sanitation, the lack of clean drinking water directly contributes to the spread of diseases like dysentery, typhoid fever, cholera, and more. In Kenya, poor water quality and sanitation is a leading cause of these potentially deadly diseases. Furthermore, many Kenyan counties are classified as ‘very arid’ and constrained by limited access to reliable water sources. When seasonal climate changes result in droughts and floods, water retention is adding to the multiple challenges facing the rural communities in Kenya.
SOLUTION
The SaWa Pilot Project through the Kenya Rapid Program was a joint initiative of CRS Kenya & 4Life Solutions. The project partnership focuses on providing safe and affordable drinking waters to the Isiolo and Turkana counties with a total population of 268,002 and 1,016,174 persons respectively.
The project aimed to achieve the following outcomes:
- Reduce the risk of waterborne diseases for vulnerable communities
- Free up personal time – associated with illness and collecting fuel to boil and purify water
- Lower environmental impact of firewood or fuel used to purify water
- Bring WASH education, resources and hope to the local communities for a healthy future
The project included distribution of 10.000 SaWa Bag in 2021 and 100.000 SaWa Bag in 2022 throughout the two counties. The average number of people per household living in the Manjatas Straw Huts in the two counties is 4.6 persons per household. Each SaWa Bag provided two people with safe drinking water for an entire year.
IMPACT
The project provided the inhabitants with safe drinking water. The project further delivered on multiple United Nations SDGs, among others: