The Need
Follwing the successful completion of the new schoolhouse for Burere, the community identified the need for increased access to clean water. The community had an existing well with a hand pump for water access; however, this pump was physically intensive to operate and was located far from centers of population. Being on the shores of Lake Victoria, the inaccessibility of the pump caused the majority of the community to use the lake as a source of fresh water. This exposed community members to parasites contaminating the shores of the lake, leading to high rates of schistosomiasis infection. This lack of easy access to clean water, like in other areas, caused the spread of water-borne diseases throughout the community and keeps children from being able to consistently attend school.
Project HISTORY
In March of 2018, a group of travelers from EWB-UC assisted with the implentation of a solar-powered water distrubition system. The existing manual pump was replaced with a solar-powered pump and solar panels, allowing for the easy extraction of water from the borehole. The water is then piped up a hill to a tank located on the grounds of Burere's primary schools, including the one constructed by EWB-UC in 2013. Several tapstands were placed around the school buildings as well as near the pump. In August of 2019, three more tanks and tap stands were implemented throughout the community, each connecting to a line flowing from the existing tank.
Future Involvement
An assessment trip is planned for May of 2020. During this trip, information will be gathered for the third phase of the project. The next steps are most likely to be the re-assessment of the overflow system and the placement of another tap stand close to Lake Victoria.
