The Water Pump

In 2013 I was working with an aid organisation and was invited to visit a small village in West Pokot, Kenya to see the results of a water and sanitation project.

I was invited to visit a small village in West Pokot, Kenya to see the results of a water and sanitation project. The village was located in a arid and remote region of the Rift Valley and we travelled for hours along empty dirt roads to reach it.

The locals welcomed us and lead us from the village along the barren river bed which was once a source of water.

We arrived at the water pump. The children quickly began pumping water and demonstrating how the newly installed pump worked.

The water pump means that the inhabitants of the village no longer need to drink dirty river water, teeming with parasites, bacteria and animal waste.

Along with the installation of the pump the project also contained an education element teaching the importance of washing hands and face to avoid common diseases which occur in areas where water is scarce and sanitation is inadequate.

This clean water access point in the heart of the community also means that inhabitants can avoid a long daily trek to the river with a heavy jerry can.