Families: 60+ families across 3 villages
Water Committee: 5 men and 5 women

Robert Village received its first source of clean water in July 2024. Before then, families relied on the river, sometimes digging into the riverbed for water. Women would leave as early as 3 a.m. and return around 8 or 9 a.m. with just one bucket—and sometimes no water at all.

The journey was dangerous. One woman fell into a hand-dug water source more than two meters deep and had to be pulled out with a rope. Another woman was bitten by a snake while walking to the river and was left paralyzed. The community also suffered frequently from diarrhea and cholera. Katema Health Center was 13 kilometers away, and a round-trip journey cost about MK 30,000 in transportation. Families often had to do manual work to cover their medical costs.

The long hours away from home affected families, too. Women left before sunrise to collect water, making it difficult to care for their households or help their husbands with farming. Some marriages broke down. Today, residents say those marriages have been restored. Families are happier, women have time to work in their gardens and farms, and they can finally sleep instead of waking in the middle of the night to find water.

The change in water access has also changed daily life. Families once managed with just one or two buckets a day. Now, they can collect eight, sometimes ten. They bathe regularly, keep themselves and their homes clean, care for tree seedlings, and have more resources for goats, chickens, clothes, and other household needs.

The community is also healthier. For two years, residents say they have had no waterborne diseases, allowing them to save the money they once spent on clinic visits and medicine. “Now, I can propose to a girl because I’m so clean and smell good,” Patrick joked.

For years, government officials had promised to bring water but never delivered. When the drilling truck finally arrived, residents said, “We couldn’t believe it.” They helped make the project possible by providing food, sand, and bricks for the drillers. After two years, the well has needed only one repair.

Children are benefiting, too. Many girls previously struggled to get to school because of the time spent collecting water and dealing with water-related sickness. Today, children can arrive at school on time and clean. After years of waiting, Robert Village finally has reliable water—and, as residents put it, “Life is better. Kwambiri.”