Clean Water

As Lisa wrote earlier in the fall, clean water is a precious commodity here in Kenya. I was reminded of this again today as I read in the newspaper that the water for our section of the city is scheduled to be turned off from Tuesday morning at 6:00am until Wednesday at 6:00pm and again it will be turned off from Friday at 6pm until Sunday morning.

The school has a bore hole (a well) which we can pump almost enough water to keep the school going for a few days as we have big water tanks on site that we fill during the night. For those of us who live on the school campus we hardly notice the water shortage. All the big houses nearby also have large water tanks that are kept filled.

However, this is not the case for the Kenyan people. Living in a 10' x 12' room, four to six people do not have running water; they either collect rain water to drink or carry water to their homes. Many of our Kenyan support staff who do not live on campus, take home large bottles of water when they leave at night.

Although I would like to be able to help all our Kenyan friends we realize that it is not possible. However, I know that we can help some. One of the projects I have been working on is to provide easier access to safe drinking water. I was able to purchase double water filters (as shown) for $100. This gives the Kenyan staff living on campus easier access. We now have a set on the east and west sides of the campus and they are being used daily.

The Eastleigh Pottery Studio produces a ceramic filter for individual houses. It filters out 99% of harmful bacteria and dirt. Each filter sells for 1000 Kenyan shillings (KSH) which is $16. We have bought several of them to give as gifts and hope to purchase many more as we can afford them. One family told us that they thought they would not own a water filter in their lifetime (because of the cost). They prayed that their young child would one day be able to purchase a filter; that child now loves to fill the top part of the filter with dirty water and watch it drip through clean and clear.

Unfortunately, the son of another Kenyan family we know was given some `bad`water a few weeks ago and developed typhoid. The medical bill for the doctor and his medicine was 4000 KSH which his parents could not afford. We have since given them a water filter and they are truly grateful.

Here are some pictures of these pottery filters. The full pottery ones are more expensive (1700 KSH) than the ones with a plastic base but both have the same ceramic filter which has been tested by the Departments of Health in the U.S. and in Kenya.

I will never again take for granted the blessing of having safe water to drink. Sometimes it is only when we do not have something that we realize its importance.