Mlalawaka Borehole Project

About this Project

Mlalawaka community members and Joseph Katsala, a CorpsAfrica volunteer, will install a borehole that will solve the water crisis faced by 750 individuals in the area. Currently, community members, especially women and children, travel over 3km to access water from boreholes in neighboring villages, Leha River, shallow wells and dambo areas. The water drawn is usually not safe for household use and could lead to spread of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea. In addition to procuring and installing the borehole, the project will also conduct Health and Sanitation sensitization campaigns aimed at educating the community on borehole maintenance and hygiene practices.

A month after receiving World Connect funding, friends of Majaliro have completed the drilling of a borehole in their community that is expected to provide clean and safe water to 100 households and about 600 people. The project is expected to reduce distance traveled to access clean water, from 5kms to within 1km. It will also reduce the spread of waterborne diseases which had been spiking in the community.

Through a $5,000 grant from World Connect, Friends of Majaliro Primary School successfully installed a borehole in Mlalawaka village. Previously, Mlalawaka village had only one borehole, which was 1.5 km away from the residents' homes. The other nearest water access points were shallow wells in the Leha dambo area, which were unclean. This situation caused children to be consistently late for school as they had to cover long distances to fetch water for household chores and school preparation.

The installation of the new borehole significantly reduced the distances people needed to travel to access water, providing better access to clean water compared to the previous situation. This project directly benefited 150 people, representing 30 families, and indirectly benefited an additional 85 people.

Furthermore, the project contributed to improved school attendance among children who previously spent considerable time fetching water. With closer access to clean water, children can now attend school more regularly and on time. The borehole installation has thus enhanced both the daily lives and educational opportunities of the community members in Mlalawaka village.