Clean Water

Ceramic water filter system

Maji Afiya (Healthy Water)

Thanks to the generous support of many individuals and churches, we continue to be able to distribute ceramic water filter systems to vulnerable refugee households living in Eastleigh. Today another 38 Somali and Oromo women took part in a training workshop on the importance, use and maintenance of ceramic water filters. Each household received a filter purchased with funds raised by First Baptist Church, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. We want to share our thanks to the congregation for your generous support of this project! Access to clean water continues to be a major challenge for people throughout Kenya and much of Africa.

As we shared together about the difficulties surrounding water in Eastleigh, the women told us that the city water only comes to Eastleigh sporadically from Friday evening to Sunday. There is absolutely no water available from Monday to Friday. "When the water comes we store it in pails and old cooking oil containers." explained a Somali woman. "We put it where ever we can. There isn't even a glass or mug that we don't fill with water when it comes!" The groups laughs, but soon they the are all sharing about their daily struggle to provide water for their families. Once the city water runs dry, the women walk into Mathare Valley where they can fill a 20 litre used cooking oil container for 20 Kenyan Shillings. Because the water quality is terrible and the women will spend another 20 shillings on a packet of "water guard" a chemical they add to the water to make it potable. On Friday morning, when nearly everyone has run out of their stored water, the price in Mathare jumps to 30 shillings. Worse still, if there is no water available in Mathare, the woman will have to resort to paying 50 shillings or more from local merchants.

While the ceramic filters are able to clean water. Access to water continues to be a major issue for people living in poverty. We pray that the rains will be sufficient to bring a regular flow of water into places like Eastleigh.

Nadhifo and Hani very excited

to be taking their filters home