Karimboni village’s dream began in 2013 as the food-for-work program of a flood response project implemented by World Renew and our local partner, the Anglican Church of Kenya’s development service, ADS Pwani. After the flood response, ADS Pwani conducted a participatory rural appraisal with the Karimboni community, in which community members prioritized the expansion of their village’s water pan, a water-harvesting technology that involves the digging of a large crater that is then lined in order to collect rainwater runoff.

The digging and excavating of the community’s water pan began that year and has continued, as the community continues expanding it to meet their increasing water needs.

So far, the water pan has:

• Become a source of water for over 100 households.
• Saved the community time by reducing the travel distance to water.
• Reduced the risks to women and girls who have had to travel far distances in search of water.
• Increased study time for children who used to travel a long distance to fetch water after school.
• Become a source of water for both livestock and wild animals.
• Become a source of water for tree growing and kitchen gardens.
• Provided a meeting place as people work together.
• Motivated community members who now feel they have a bigger capacity to carry out major projects on their own.

World Renew has also used the water pan as a venue to educate the community about safe water use/treatment, as well as management of the water pan. The community now has plans to fence the pan and install a water filter, a pump, and a tank.
This small project that started as a food-for-work activity in response to a flood has become a major community asset. Glory to God.

This project is implemented by Anglican Development Services of Pwani in Kilifi County (Magarini)
Written by David Njoka