Compassion International Child Development Center: ET321 Dera, Ethiopia

December 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment

$22,633: Funded December 24, 2013. Completed Fall 2014.

dera_water_croppedThe water project will be implemented in Dera, Ethiopia. The city’s population is about 64,000 people. In the area surrounding the church where people can access water through this project, there will be about 3,600 people. The Compassion project, implemented through the local church, serves about 210 children and their families directly. These families (about 1,050) will benefit most directly.

The total cost of this water project is $22,633. FUNDING COMPLETE!

Insufficient water supply becomes detrimental to the programmatic activities of registered children at ET-321. The church accesses this water from the community water points in the town.The project director (ET-321) indicated that the nearest water point to the child development center is found approximately at 800 meters (1/2 mile). Thus, the church pays USD 0.23 for 20 liters of water to those who transport the water by horse cart in order to fulfill the water needs at the child development center. Nevertheless, the church is not able to meet the required amount of water which is from 140 to 200 liters of water per day (i.e. seven to ten containers per day). As the project director indicated in July 2013, the registered children are not able to use the existing toilets efficiently and practice hand washing after defecation due to having not sufficient water supply at the child development center. They are also not able to take shower even after doing physical exercises though the area is known to be windy and dusty. Hence, the church is currently using this available water only to cook food items to service 208 registered children during tea break.

Moreover, the community water points in the town are few in number and disproportional to the number of households in the community. The project director indicated that water is often times available for few days in a week. To cope up the challenge, people in the town reserve water with containers when water is available and use it scarcely. As a result, every water point has a long queue, so it takes more than an hour to fetch water. The project director also mentioned that this problem goes beyond the child development center and affects the community in which the registered children reside. In other words, lack of sufficient safe drinking water affects the lives of registered children and their caregivers in the community. For instance, women and children are the ones who spend much of their time in waiting a long queue and fetch water from community water points. As a result, the registered children are miss out on school time or study time.

The magnitude of this problem has initiated the church (ET-321) to take the lead in installing a water pipe line from 800 m far off place. The project has bought 80 water pipelines and acquired legal permission from the local government to connect with the national water grid line which is passing across the area. Nevertheless, the church has not been able to go further to complete this activity due to financial constraints. This proposal is, therefore, designed to connect water pipeline from the national grid and to build three water points one at the child development center and the other two near to the community whereby registered children are located. The realization of this activity will enhance child participation rate, facilitate personal hygiene exercise and reduce the incidence of infectious diseases from registered children.

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Filed Under: Past Projects Tagged With: ,

Compassion International Child Development Center: TZ452 Olkolili, Tanzania

December 17, 2013 by 1 Comment

$60,000: Funded Dec 24, 2011, Completed May 2012.

Your recent support of a water project has literally revolutionized life in Olkolili, Tanzania. By bringing dependable, clean water to this small village for the first time, you have provided health and hope to hundreds of people and removed a significant barrier to overcoming multiple forms of poverty in their lives.

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Project Director Seraphine Mayila demonstrates how to water the garden.

A Problem on Many Levels

When the Pentecostal evangelism Fellowship of Africa (PeFA) olkolili Church established its Compassion-assisted child development center in May 2010, the needs of area children were quickly identified — all of them related to a lack of water. In this remote village of 2,300, where the nearest water sources were unprotected swamps and wells two-and-a-half miles away, children often helped their families spend many hours each day fetching water. In doing so, their educational opportunities were limited. The filthy water brought suffering to many in the village via waterborne diseases, worms and skin infections. Sanitation was virtually unheard of. This resulted in even more risk of sickness, especially among children, due to improper disposal of human waste and the inability to clean themselves or their food. The food supply, too, was limited without a dependable water source nearby, hindering adequate physical growth among children.

Running Water: A First For Olkolili

When you answered the call to share God’s love through your generous gift, you set in motion a carefully planned water project. This process included obtaining permits and paying experts to locate a dependable water source. Contractors then designed and drilled a borehole well and installed two reservoir water tanks, a generator, a pump, three water taps and plumbing that deliver water to bathrooms and kitchen facilities. The project and follow-up testing came in on budget and, according to the region’s district water engineer, the well can supply clean, safe water to twice the intended beneficiaries. People from every part of olkolili were involved in this project, which took place February through May 2012. They are unified in gratitude for your investment in bringing running water to the village for the first time. The residents are committed to ensuring the well and its systems are protected, maintained and kept accessible to the intended beneficiaries.

More Than Just Meeting Needs

Thanks to your generosity, now the child development center is able to share clean water with the entire community, help bring down the rates of waterborne disease and raise awareness of the need for sanitation. All 250 registered children and at least one adult caregiver for each child, as well as another 80 children who attend the church regularly, access the water tap. In fact, this tally is conservative – most families are not limited to one child and one adult. the full effect of this well is likely felt by everyone in the village. one child said, “We are now in a town like those we read about in books!” The Compassion tanzania staff reports the children now feel life is worth living. Center workers say the overall learning environment is improved and encourages the children to attend the Compassion program. Now that they have adequate water supply, the center’s staff members can teach registered children not only about the importance of using water in restrooms, washing their hands with soap and water, and safely preparing food, but they also enable the children to practice these procedures while at the centers.

A Change That Makes an Impact

Seraphine Mayila, project director of the PeFA olkolili student Center, says the water system already makes a major difference on a number of levels. Water from the well is used to irrigate vegetable and tomato crops tended by registered children. these crops are used to feed the children during regular center activities, and the surplus is sold in the community. the center also makes water available to the entire community for a small fee. the funds raised by these income-generating activities are invested in much-needed classroom items and playground equipment at the center.

Beyond meeting present needs, the gardening and irrigation activities teach children valuable skills they can use throughout their lives. “Planting vegetable and tomatoes has reduced the cost of these items for our children here at the center, and the community can get vegetables nearby rather than before as they used to travel to buy them.” Seraphine says. As the ample water supply turns olkolili green with leaves from vegetable and tomato plants, these new food sources are already improving health and brightening the future. “The impact of this work is great,” says Mathew Nanyaro, a 35-year-old father of a registered child. “The activity will yield many beneficial outcomes. The perception of many individuals concerning vegetable planting has improved for the better, and others are already preparing their own gardens for more profit.”

Another parent, 28-year-old Neema Julius, shares this optimism: “the bible saying ‘whoever does not work should not eat’ has become very relevant to me. In the future, both the children and the youth in the community will grow into hardworking men and women who are sensitive about vegetable planting and selling them to people. “I am now full of hope that the family health conditions and income will improve, and I believe that domestic needs will be handled,” Neema says.

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Thank You

Thank you for your support of this important intervention. your kindness will have a tangible and lasting impact throughout the entire village. Mathew’s thoughts encapsulate olkolili’s reaction to the scope of your investment in this project: “I am grateful to the donors of Compassion, and I would like to assure them that what they have started is a revolution and a movement to help most families reach their daily needs.”

Filed Under: Past Projects Tagged With: , ,

Compassion International Child Development Center KE781, Kiio, Kenya

December 17, 2013 by 3 Comments

$59,276: Funded December 24, 2012. Completed Fall 2013.

BEFORE: The beneficiaries of our 2012 campaign are 3000 residents of Kitui County Mwingi District Northeast of Narobi Kenya, which includes 232 children who are registered in Compassions Kiio GFCB Child Development Center.  Most of the adults in this rural community work as subsistence farmers or petty traders earning approximately $25 per month.

Most families here depended on rain water runoff, and water from ponds and streams. In times of drought, water is gathered from hand-dug wells, which means residents must awake at 3 a.m. and wait in line or hours for water before the supply runs out. The Compassion center spends much of its limited budget purchasing water from these unreliable sources and subsequently encounters high medical expenses treating children who fall ill from contaminated water.

A competent and reputable contractor will be engaged and hired in drilling the borehole and the church partner is committed to ensure the activity is conducted and completed as agreed. Water infrustructure at the church compound will be constructed to supply water to various places including the wash rooms for sanitation. The activity will immediately start after the funds are available. A total of $62,151 USD is needed for the successful completion of the activity. The local church has prepared to locally contribute USD $2,875. This proposal seeks to raise $59,276.

BUDGET DETAILS

TOTAL COST

LOCAL RESOURCES

AMOUNT NEEDED
Survey and Permits

$   9,115

$0

$   9,115
Equipment and Drilling

$10,156

$0

$10,156
Installation and Materials

$15,118

$0

$15,118
Development and Testing

$  2,352

$0

$  2,352
Plumbing and Finishing work

$23,674

$2,875

$20,799
Sustainability Monitoring

$  1,736

$0

$  1,736
TOTAL COST

$62,151

$2,875

$59,276

OBJECTIVES & IMPLEMENTATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

  • Provide 232 children, 12 staff, and approximately 2000 residents of Kiio with access to safe, affordable drinking water and sanitation education.
  • Minimize the spread of disease and improve hygiene standards, not only at the Compassion center but in the community as a whole.
  • Enable the partnering church to generate income by selling the water at approximately 50% less than its local market value for the purpose of making the water well self-sustainable (financing upkeep and repairs) and ensuring that the water supply will be available for generations to come. This microenterprise will also serve to educate beneficiaries about the value of clean water and prevent waste and misuse.

THE SOLUTION

Drilling a well and installing a water filtration plant in Kiio will sove both water and health problems in the community. Supporting a water project at Kiio GFCB Student Center will provide equipment, maintenance, and training for the partner church. The water plant will have the capacity to eliminate pollutants and bacteria from water sources. A water purification system includes: Equipment, drilling, installation, infrastructure to keep and house the water purification system, and training and technical support.

kenyaAFTER: Through the construction of a borehole well near the Kiio GFCB Child Development Center, you have provided access to safe water for 232 Compassion-assisted children, their families, and more than 2,000 community members. Thank you! Your support has empowered a struggling area with a valuable resource: safe drinking water. This intervention was completed with great success and has resulted in healthier lives, stronger economies and brighter futures for Kiio’s children.

A NEED ADDRESSED

Thanks to your donations, easy access to safe drinking water has transformed an entire community. Children who once suffered from diarrhea and intestinal infections are now healthy, and the community is no longer burdened by the expense of medical care to treat waterborne diseases. Likewise, mothers who once walked for hours to collect unsafe water now have access to safe water just minutes from their homes. This simple convenience has drastically changed their day-to­ day lives.

One mother who was affected by this intervention is 28-year-old Elizabeth Mwikali Nzoka. She used to wake up at 4 a.m. during the dry season to walk 3 miles to collect water for her three children. It was a burden she had to bear, but thanks to you it is no longer.

  • Involving local authorities in mobilizing and educating the community about the water project.
  • Drilling a 590-foot deep borehole
  • Testing and analyzing the water to determine that it is fit for human consumption .
  • Equipping the borehole well with a pump
  • Digging trenches and laying more than half a mile of

Together, these accomplishments mean 232 Compassion-assisted  children, their families and 2,000 community members now have easy access to safe water. They no longer have to drink water that makes them sick, and they no longer have to face the dangers of a long walk to reach unreliable water sources. Now they are free to enjoy happier, healthier lives.

CHALLENGES

The project was scheduled to be implemented within nine months -this included three months for a hydro-geological survey and environmental impact assessment, three to six months for drilling and civil works, and at least two months for testing. However, the first phase -the survey and assessment -took three months longer than expected.

Though Compassion Kenya attempted to make up this time, and though drilling the well took just one month, the civil works and testing phase could not be completed in the remaining two months. The project timeline was extended by four months, moving the completion date to April 2014. This allowed sufficient time for completing the well and proper testing.

OUTCOMES

A major outcome sought through this project was to reduce the prevalence of health and hygiene issues in children related to drinking contaminated water. In the past, considerable funds were spent treating children with diarrhea. We are happy to report that the project anticipates the new access to safe water will go a long way toward reducing these infections by more than 80 percent. Families and the Compassion center will no longer face expensive medical bills from waterborne diseases.  Other cost-savings will come from no longer having  to purchase water to use for center activities.

This new access to clean water also led to another positive financial outcome. The local church is in the process of acquiring land for irrigation farming. Thanks to access to water, the church will be able to grow vegetables year round–particularly,  vegetables  that are scarce in the village. This horticultural project also will er ate educational opportunities for registered children as they learn about farming and irrigation methods.

In addition to economic progress, the project also has raised the local church’s profile. Its involvement was a sign of solidarity to families who have benefited from access to safe water In light of the positive response from the community, the church plans to increase its involvement in future development projects.

Jonathan Sompisha, Project Director of Kiio GFCB Child Development Center, explains: “We are very happy and excited about the work here; there has been a transformation of lives in Kiio Community. The mothers have stopped worrying so much about water and instead are concentrating more on other activities. We expect hospital visits due to waterborne diseases to reduce dramatically as well as incidences of child abuse since the children will now be accessing safe water from a nearby source.”

THANK YOU

Heartfelt thanks to all of our donors, for demonstrating Christ’s love in such a tangible way by funding this important project. Ensuring that children and their families have access to safe water is one of the most critical components in Compassion’s holistic approach to releasing children from poverty, and your gift has ensured that the children of Kiio are much healthier and safer. We appreciate your ongoing partnership as we continue to care for children in Kenya and around the world.

TESTIMONIALS

“Right now I am very happy because I have easy access to safe water from the church,” Elizabeth says. “For me, this is a miracle. I am confident that the lives of my children will be very different from mine. When I was younger, we always went to school late and at times even missed school completely because we had to collect water before going to school. My children will not go through that because we can easily collect water now.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We’re grateful that your partnership with Compassion has provided access to safe water through drilling a borehole well -transforming the health, economy and happiness of an entire community. This successful project involves:

  • Conducting a hydrological survey to identify the most appropriate site for the borehole well and obtaining permission from the landowner to drill on the property. 
  • Obtaining relevant permits and licenses through Kenya’s Water and Resources Management
  • Conducting and submitting an environmental impact assessment to Kenya’s National Environmental
  • Involving local authorities in mobilizing and educating the community about the water project.
  • Drilling a 590-foot deep borehole
  • Testing and analyzing the water to determine that it is fit for human consumption .Equipping the borehole well with a pump.
  • Digging trenches and laying more than half a mile of pipe.Together, these accomplishments mean 232 Compassion-assisted  children, their families, and 2,000 community members now have easy access to safe water. They no longer have to drink water that makes them sick, and they no longer have to face the dangers of a long walk to reach unreliable water sources. Now they are free to enjoy happier, healthier lives.

CONCLUSION

Together, these accomplishments mean 232 Compassion-assisted  children, their families, and 2,000 community members now have easy access to safe water. They no longer have to drink water that makes them sick, and they no longer have to face the dangers of a long walk to reach unreliable water sources. They are now free to enjoy happier, healthier lives. God bless you! 

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