Updates From the Field:  Kenya # 34:  October 31, 2008
Dear Family and Friends, Did you go to your kitchen or bathroom this morning and turn a faucet?  What happened?  I can bet that 99% of you thought nothing of it when you had easy access to water.  You could brush your teeth, wash you face, do a load of laundary, and finish any dishes left over from last night (if you are anything like me).  In Kenya, access to water is a real problem.  We are actually being rationed right now in Nairobi, and I went two weeks without water.  I only have to walk about 50 feet to the water reserve tank to fill up the containers in my house.  For most in this country, that would be a luxury. Yesterday, I accompanied the projects officers to the Kangundo Division.  We needed to visit and review the accommodations at three secondary schools, because we are receiving a sizable donation to improve the water and sanitation situation at one school.  Kinyui Boys school has a borehole, but not enough tanks to store water.  In addition, they have only 5 pit latrines at their dorm which houses 680 teenage boys.  They have one bathhouse with 6 working showers and 6 taps.  Kinyui Girls does not have their own borehole, but pipes water from the boys school.  They can only do this at certain times of the day, however.  They have 10 taps in a central location at the school, and the 580 girls there all haul water from that location.  They have temporary bathing areas (one made from corrugated metal).  The girls haul water to those open areas to clean themselves.  They also haul water from a shallow well that the whole community uses.  As we visited the well, I saw many men and women with plastic buckets trying to get some water for their homes. We then moved on to Kewethei Mixed School.  They are lucky to have a borehole connected to a huge permanent water tank on site that is working and providing plenty of water for their school.  However, the water is very salty, causing it to be undrinkable and inconvenient for use when cooking or bathing.  The school could harvest rain water, but the roofs are in such bad disrepair, they are afraid of rust and old paint contaminating the water collected.  They want to connect to a fresh borehole some kilometers away.  Here is picture of some people trying to get water from that site. You may be getting bored by now reading all this detail.  However, I wanted you to realize how hard it is for people to get such a basic need.  In some areas, people walk miles to get water.  My friend was recently telling me of an area where women are not considered priorities.  The men bring all their cattle to the water point to drink in the mornings.  After all the men and the cattle of the community have had their fill, the women are allowed to come get what they need to cook, clean, and drink.  If a woman dares to take water before the cattle, she is beaten.    I should note that The Salvation Army works hard to improve water access in Kenya.  We have had several projects providing water tanks and boreholes around the country.  We have another project planned to improve water and sanitation in many primary schools. When I witness God's people struggling so vehemently for the simple things in life, I'm convicted about my own complaining.  I know many of my letters allude to gratefulness for what we have, but when God reminds me, I feel I should pass it on.  I am also reminded that though good people suffer, we all have access to the living water of Christ that will never leave us thirsty or wanting. The verse of the week: Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty.  The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life". ~John 4:13,14  All my love, Armida Armida LaMarr Captain Social/Education Secretary Kenya East Territory