Clean water in rural Kenya

Clean Water Access for 12,000 people

Introduction 
In Kenya, access to safe drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental human need; however, the government struggles to adequately address these needs. Only 67.9% of the population has access to drinking water, with significant inequalities between urban (90.6%) and rural areas (56.3%). Climate change, poor infrastructure, environmental degradation, and inadequate governance worsen the situation, impacting community health and well-being.

Clean Water Access
Dorcas Kenya is addressing these challenges through the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program, ‘Clean Water Access’, in rural Kenya. The ‘Clean Water Access’ program aims to ensure access to clean water, proper sanitation, and hygiene facilities for around 12,000 people located in Siaya County in the Western part of Kenya.

About Dorcas
MissionInvest collaborates with Dorcas in Kenya and Ethiopia. Dorcas demonstrates God’s love to the marginalized and acts as Jesus’ hands and feet for those in need. We invest in realizing sustainable change in the lives of people experiencing poverty, exclusion or a crisis by creating opportunities for them to use their God-given potential and flourish. This is how we follow Jesus Christ.

“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.” – Proverbs 27: 19

Improve the water supply capacity
The program will rehabilitate the Got Oyenga Water scheme. Currently, its operational capacity is limited to 82M³/day, far below the potential capacity of 480M³/day and the community’s demand of 683M³/day. By improving the water supply capacity to 480M³/day and expanding the distribution network, the program will ensure reliable access to clean water.

The program will also install prepaid water meters and a digital payment platform to improve revenue collection. To enable sustainability of the water scheme, the beneficiaries are willing to pay an average of $1.2 per 1M³ water. Vulnerable households will receive 60 liters of water per day for free, making sure everybody have access.

Local youth and women will be trained in water management and governance, and sanitation and hygiene initiatives will be supported to raise awareness. This approach will tackle water scarcity, enhance community health, and create jobs for local youth and women.

Experience in WASH 
Dorcas Kenya has extensive experience in implementing WASH programs. Between 2017 and 2023, also in Siaya county, Dorcas Kenya implemented a WASH project that significantly improved access to clean water for over 90,000 people. This program rehabilitated four water schemes, together with partners such as local private companies and the government.

 “Before the program we fetched water from the river, but that water is not clean. We suffered from illnesses such as cholera. With the Watertap we all have clean water for a fair price.” – Agnes

Impact
Through this project, we will increase the clean water supply to 480m³ per day and support sanitation and hygiene initiatives to improve community health for 12,000 people. Community members will receive training in water management and marketing, while prepaid water meters and a digital payment platform will be implemented to enhance revenue collection. Additionally, the program aims to create 15 jobs and business opportunities and connect 5 schools to the water system, benefiting 2,100 students.

Funding request
The total budget for 2025 and 2026 is $350,000, with $90,000 already funded. For 2025, the program requires an additional $140,000 to meet its $190,000 budget.

MissionInvest has been collaborating with Dorcas for a long time and is confident in the outstanding track record of Dorcas Kenya. It is a privilege to secure the necessary funding for this project. We wholeheartedly recommend this incredible Kingdom project and hope it touches your heart to support it. Through your help, we can provide poor communities in Kenya with the most essential life necessity: fresh and clean water.