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To date (August 2008) we
have achieved the following
Dalkey Parish
has, since 2001, contributed approximately €50,000 for
the support of developmental activities and emergency
relief in the parishes and communities of Endau and
Zombe in Kitui. This has supported construction of classrooms, equipping
polytechnics for girls, supporting student education, famine relief, etc
etc.
Bray Parish has,
since 1984, supported the education of hundreds of needy
students in the parish of Ikanga
Since April 2007, Rathgar
Parish has raised over €110,000 for the parish of
Kyuso for support of income generating projects, supply of
clean water, construction of educational facilities and
school fees.
Cabinteely
Parish has since 2005 been supporting the education of
orphan children throughout Kitui, and also supporting the
construction of a major educational facility- the new St
Michael's Secondary School building project |
Over 130
students are this year able to attend secondary school through the
generosity of Friends of Kitui supporters
A new 450-student secondary boarding school is nearing
completion.
20 Water Projects serving over 7000 people are now
completed
In
addition, other groups working under the Friends of Kitui
umbrella have supported
income generating projects such as The
Honey Project, micro-businesses for chicken rearing, and a project for the
manufacture of Aloe Vera soap in Zombe.
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The groups currently operating with
Friends of Kitui are
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Read
about our work under the various headings at the top of this
page,
and see for yourself how we can achieve huge benefits with very little
money. So be assured- your contribution will go a long way. |
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The
"Wells for Africa" campaign organised by Sheila
and Gerry has now raised funds for water projects serving
almost 3000 people in Kitui. The first two wells
constructed were at Musuoni (funded by Loreto School) and
Kiatineni (funded by the Seaver family). During my most
recent visit at the beginning of April 2007, I visited
a further three sub-surface dams at Ngathano,
Makolongo and Kitula which were at that time
nearing completion.
"Wells
for Africa" originally set out to fund
seven water projects in Kitui in the 2006/2007
school year. Due to the wonderful response, we were
able to add an eighth project- Kiatineni- which we brought
to the head of the queue due to the urgent need of the
community there
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Typically, these water projects
involve the construction or rehabilitation of a water
well, or the construction of a sand dam (also known as a
subsurface dam), and typical costs lie in the range
€1400 to €4000. Each
of these projects will
typically provide clean water for a community of 200-300
people. Water capacity in the sand dams tends to be higher
than for a stand-alone well, because the whole point of the
sand dam is to provide water storage through the dry
season, so a community with a sand dam will have additional
water for crop irrigation and for animals, which of course
is a huge bonus. |
| The well at Kiatineni is a
typical example of a project which could not have been
carried out without outside assistance. It is hard for us
in Ireland to appreciate the difficulties faced by the
people in Kitui in accessing water. The community at
Kiatineni had for many years been faced with long walking
distances to find water in the dry season- 10km would not
be unusual. The water point would typically be a scoop hole
dug out of a dry river bed. Then they might well have to
queue up to collect water because of the low seepage rate
into the scoop hole. So a major portion of the day would be
devoted to the basic task of collecting 20 litres of dirty
water. |
The Kiatineni community approached the
local area co-ordinator for the Diocese of Kitui’s Water
Department, and asked for assistance. To qualify for
assistance, the community must show that they have formed a
working committee with a commitment from each member to
supply labour or materials for the construction. Typically
the community will provide 50% or so of the total cost-
everything except materials such as cement, and some
special hand tools, and the hand pump which is fitted at
the end of the construction period. |
| Several years ago they
started digging a well by hand closer to their village in a
desperate attempt to remedy the problem. The well was in
very soft ground, and it caved in several times.
Fortunately no-one was injured. These wells are often dug
to incredible depths without the benefit of any safety
precautions against collapse. Not only is collapse a hazard
for those working in the well, but of course a cave-in
means that water is no longer accessible until the well can
be dug out again. |
Another benefit which we often don’t
appreciate from the Irish perspective is that providing
easier access to water empowers the women of the community.
Fetching water is traditionally the task of the women and
girls in a household. If the women are spending such a long
proportion of the day in this task, they have little time
or energy left over for the normal household tasks, never
mind engaging in activities with economic value such as
tending crops. With extra time available, the status of
women is enhanced. |
We
support people in need in Kitui, Kenya.
