One Great Hour of Sharing: Water

Project Highlight: Kenya

Matee Kakoo tells the story of her community in eastern Kenya before and after a One Great Hour of Sharing-supported sand dam was built.

Ms. Kakoo recalls that people in Mbangulo went hungry because they didn’t have enough water to cook food. Their primary school had insufficient classrooms because there was no water to make bricks. The children often missed school because they needed to get water for their families. The task of fetching water took most of the day, leaving little time for other activities. Women were at risk for sexual assault on their long journey to get water.

When the people of Mbangulo were first approached about constructing a sand dam, they were enthusiastic. They quickly gathered local materials that were combined with additional donated construction materials to build the dam.

Today, children are in school and there is even a shallow well on the school grounds to provide for the school’s needs—including new bricks for new classrooms. Food is more plentiful as the water allows people to grow gardens and they have more time to tend to them.

Ms. Kakoo expresses her gratitude for what this water project has done for her community, “It will be remembered by generations to come.”

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