Wells transforming lives

Martha Munyao, 38, mother of two [CAFOD]

CAFOD-funded well projects in Kenya have meant that many more people are now able to cope with the hardships of regular drought

The 20 foot deep well in Mulwewa village in Kitui has been providing the community with clean water for 10 years now. As drought becomes more commonplace, the importance of the well as a lifeline is increasingly clear.

Martha Munyao, 38, is a member of the Mulwewa Self Help Group, a group of 30 local people who started fundraising for the well after they were prevented from collecting water from land they traditionally used.

The drought of 2006 hit the area hard. But the presence of the well made a real difference.

“The water is in the well all year round, even during drought, so last year we were fine here. We helped our relatives and people who were not so lucky. Without the well we would have had to beg for water and for food" said Martha.

Martha and the other villagers are acutely aware of how water has been becoming more scarce.

“There was much rain when I was little but somehow now it keeps getting less year by year, so we are so thankful for the well. I’m not sure how we would cope with all this drought without it" she said.

Aside from helping the community to cope with drought conditions, the well makes a huge difference to day-to-day lives.

“Before we had the well we’d have to walk five kilometres or so to the river get water so we wasted so much time doing that.

"Life has improved as we can all spend more time on doing things other than collecting water like working on the land, terracing the soil and planting fruit trees" explained Martha.

The shallow well in nearby Ngungani village has also transformed lives. The well is linked to the Kitui sub-surface dam, so there is a good supply.

Villager Solomon Muvengei, 60, said: “The diocese has been so much help to us here. During the drought last year there was always water here so it made life much easier. We can spend the extra time on the land.”

The well also helps provide the villagers with an extra source of income.

“The rainfall has not been good in these last few years. Thankfully we have the dam and the well which has meant we can plant some vegetables and make and sell bricks to earn some income," explained Reuben Fundi, 43, head of a local community group.

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