Help OLCAP Provide Clean Water to 20,000 Villagers in Rural Kenya

By Maureen Shileche | February 6,2025

Imagine being a mother, with young children in tow, walking miles to collect water that is far from clean. This is the reality for Mary and countless other mothers in rural Western Kenya. For years, Mary and her children drank water from a nearby river, shared with animals and tainted with chemicals from gold mining. The water was murky, dirty, and, as Mary discovered the hard way, deadly.

One day, her youngest child, Peter, fell ill. He had severe diarrhea, vomiting, and couldn’t keep any food down. Mary, desperate, thought she had lost him. The water he had been drinking had caused a serious infection. Fortunately, the intervention of the Organization of Local Communities Against Poverty (OLCAP) saved Peter’s life. OLCAP helped Mary by providing treatment for her son and donating water purification chemicals to ensure safe drinking water.

However, there are still thousands more like Mary who are at risk. Infact, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that diarrhea caused by dirty water and unhygienic toilets kills a child under 5 every 2 minutes. We need your help to ensure that no one has to endure the same hardship Mary faced. Our goal is to provide clean water from the source, not just treat contaminated water after the fact.

Right now, the community faces a severe water crisis. Villagers rely on contaminated sources like springs, rivers, and ponds to fetch water – sources shared with animals and polluted by chemicals from mining artisanal and small-scale miners in the area.

This leaves the entire community vulnerable to waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. In fact, waterborne diseases account for 60% of all hospital visits in the area, straining already limited healthcare resources. Families already living on under $2 a day are further burdened by medical bills and lost productivity.

Children often arrive late at school or miss it altogether because they have to walk long distances to collect water. In fact, global statistics show that 443 million school days are lost each year due to waterborne diseases. This is where you can make a difference.

Our Solution: Clean, Safe Water for 20,000 Villagers

OLCAP is working tirelessly to rehabilitate three springs, build a well, and install four water supply points to provide clean drinking water to 20,000 people in this region. The project includes a filtration system to ensure that the water is free from contaminants, allowing the community to drink without fear of illness.

By rehabilitating these water sources and building new infrastructure, we’ll reduce the long walks to fetch water and cut down on school absenteeism – especially among girls who are often responsible for water collection. This is not just about access to water; it’s about improving the overall quality of life for these communities.

Long-Term Impact: Empowering the Community

Providing access to clean water will not only reduce the incidence of waterborne diseases but also free up valuable time and resources for families. The time spent walking long distances for unsafe water can now be used for work, education, and other productive activities. For children like Mary’s, who would otherwise miss school to help fetch water, this means a better chance at a brighter future. Girls will no longer have to choose between their education and supporting their families – and women will have more time to focus on income-generating activities, lifting families out of poverty.

The ripple effect of clean water will transform the community, providing better health, better education, and stronger economies.

How You Can Help

We need your support to make this life-saving project a reality. With your donation, you’ll be directly contributing to the rehabilitation of these water sources, the installation of filtration systems, and the construction of vital water infrastructure.

We need your support to turn this life-saving project into reality. OLCAP has partnered with Global Giving to raise funds for this crucial initiative. Your donation will directly contribute to restoring water sources, installing filtration systems, and building essential water infrastructure that will transform the community.

When you donate, you’ll receive regular updates from OLCAP about the progress of the project and the impact you’ve had. Your generosity will help us make a lasting difference in the lives of Mary, her children, and the 20,000 people who depend on us.

Join us in providing life-saving clean water to a community in desperate need. Your donation will create a healthier, safer, and more prosperous future for these Kenyan villagers. Together, we can make a difference.

OLCAP has teamed up with Global Giving to raise funds for clean water. Follow the following link to be part of the solution and save lives.

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/clean-water-for-20-000-kenyans/

Thank you for being part of this transformative mission!