Kenya Program

Water Project

Status: Active
Phase: Assessment

The Orange County Professionals Chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA OC) has been working with communities in the District of Laikipia in Kenya to improve their quality of life. The first project involved the design and construction of a bridge to provide access to medical facilities for the community of Endana and access to secondary school education for the communities of Segeragate, Jerusalem, and Black Tank.

A health assessment performed during the project confirmed that none of these four communities have a permanent water supply. During the dry season, most families have no water at all. During the wet season some families need to walk 10 miles round trip to the nearest water supply.

The objectives of our Water Project are four-fold:

• Identify a potable and/or irrigation water source for each of these communities
• Develop a conceptual design for the implementation of this source in applicable communities
• Evaluate each design on criteria including demand requirements, number of communities for which this source would be applicable, flow availability, treatment requirements, cost, and feasibility
• Complete the design and implementation of the most cost-effective, feasible option.

We have identified three possible water supply options for each community and have collected a lot of information about each one. They include local groundwater, seasonal river water and seasonal rainwater catchment dams. Not all of these options are available to each community.

YOU CAN HELP

We are looking for water professionals to assist in the development of the conceptual designs, evaluation of each option, fundraising, and completion of the design and implementation of the preferred project. If you have an interest in volunteering for an amazing cause, would like to learn more about water in underdeveloped countries, or would like to find out more about the project, please contact us or attend a project meeting.

See EWB-USA OC Calendar for the scheduled times and locations.

Kenya Program

Footbridge Project

Status: Completed October 27, 2011
Phase: Follow-up and Maintenance

EWB-USA OC partnered with the Segera Mission Clinic to build a footbridge for the local Kenyan community of Endana. In the rainy season, the rising waters of a surrounding river make reaching a medical clinic and life-saving care impossible for the people of Endana. This bridge not only provides year round access to health care, but also better connects Endana and surrounding communities to trade, education, friends and family, and emergency aid. An assessment trip was performed in June 2009 and the team completed the last stage of implementation on October 27th 2010.

For more information, contact us or see our project webpage.