Water is life!

Rain and water isn't something I really thought about much before while living in Australia. Water comes from a tap. It rains in winter. Thats basically it. Sometimes in winter the rain may require quickly grabbing the washing in and drying it by the heater. It is a mild annoyance if having to dash from the shopping centre to the car. 

Rain in Kenya is something else. When it really rains then everything stops. Most times the power goes out. The marketstalls throw tarps over their goods and everyone rushes for shelter.

For the locals it is very loud on tin roofs and you can't hear very well so you just huddle together and wait for it to stop. I have sat huddled in a mud hut for over half an hour. No light and over 30 people squashed in together. No one talking because it is simply too loud to hear each other, all just waiting for it to stop.

Yet despite this, here in Kenya rain is so much more of a necessity. Farmers plant their crops and then wait for the rain. If it doesn't rain then they won't be able to eat. And when I say 'farmers' that means just about everyone. 

Girls with their empty buckets when we ran out of water.

At the school here we have a bore and several wells. However the large number of students living here often results in the bore running dry- and the well water is not clean enough to drink. Several times I have told my classes they need to have a drink of water because many of the students were slumped on their desks exhausted. This was met by a cry of 'hakuna maji!' (there is no water!).

Kenyans are not used to drinking much water, many of my students ask me why I carry a drink bottle and drink so much. I have told many students the importance of staying well hydrated but it felt a little pointless and cruel telling them to drink more when not only is there no water but also many students don't have anything to keep water in- many only have one cup or bowl for their tea and lunch and therefore can only have a small amount at a time.

Thanks to some generous donations we were able to quickly resolve these problems and purchase a water tank to be specifically for drinking- if the bore goes dry then students will still have water to drink at least! 
A bulk purchase of waterbottles was made and each student given a bottle with their name on it- now students are able to have as much drinking water as they need.

Agape also sent funds for some longer term solutions- 4 massive rain water tanks to help through the dry season.

A huge thankyou to those who contributed to this cause- it is such a fundamental thing and makes such a difference for day to day life!  If you want to contribute further we would love to be able to get the kids durable long lasting drinkbottles rather than the disposable style ones we currently have. Send me an email (tabithaverity@gmail.com) if you have any funds or know any good suppliers we can get some donations from!