7 More Water Projects: The Impact of Shower Strike

Our annual April campaign, Shower Strike, helps us fund more clean water projects each year. Because of the generosity and dedication of our 400+ participants this year – who skipped showers, walked for water, and raised $420,000 – our team has been hard at work in the field this summer, enabling clean water access for more communities. Since the end of Shower Strike, we have worked on seven projects, including five completed and two still in implementation, and we are excited to share a sneak peek into the impact of these projects.

Tangi Nyeusi | Laikipia County, Kenya – In June, we drilled a new clean water well at Tangi Nyeusi Primary School in Kenya, benefitting 200 students and 400 community members. Previously, this community had a shallow hand pump well, but it broke down in 2018, so they have been walking to fetch water from a dam 3km away. Because the community had been drinking from stagnant, contaminated water for the past couple of years, vomiting and diarrhea have been common illnesses within the community. With the new well, disease rates will drop, and students will be able to attend school regularly. 50 new students have already enrolled in the school for the upcoming year, knowing they will have clean water access! Thanks to the support of Shower Strikers as well as our partners Spectrum Brands, the Nobelity Project, and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

Kelelwa | Baringo County, Kenya– In 2015, we rehabilitated a borehole well in the community of Kelelwa. This past year the school raised money to have a pipeline added from the water source into the school, and it was implemented in early June of this year. Our team visited this community when they were in Kenya in June and saw the impact this expanded clean water access has had on the students already. The head teacher told us, “the school is now more child friendly hence we believe that this is going to improve our academic performance.”

Musul Ranch Primary School | Laikipia County, Kenya – We completed a rainwater catchment and purification system at Musul Primary School in Kenya this June, impacting 400+ students, like Mashipai, and the greater community population of 3,400 people. Previously, most of the students and community were collecting water from a handmade dam that is 7 km away and shared with livestock, resulting in many waterborne illnesses. Because Musul Ranch is not in an area of Kenya with reliable underground water access, our technical team decided a rainwater system on the school grounds would provide the most yield for the community.

With our partner, Hairstory, we were able to implement this new clean water system by replacing roofing on the school, adding guttering, installing water storage tanks, and implementing UV filtration technology. We are excited to see education rates and student population increase, further amplifying the impact of this project for many generations to come.

Kaliini Primary School | Makueni County, Kenya– In 2017, we implemented a rainwater catchment and purification system at this primary school. This year, we expanded the system by adding additional storage because of the growing population. When a community reaches out to us about needing more storage, this means the community is experiencing a lot of growth and development, and in this case, that has led to more students enrolling in school!

Kositei Primary School | Baringo County, Kenya – In partnership with So They Can, we expanded a rainwater catchment system the primary school already had. We added an additional water storage, UV filtration, and solar panels to meet the needs of the school and provide consistent clean water access to the school and greater community of 700 people.

Karaus Primary School | Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya – The nearby Donkey River was the previous source of water for this community of 460 people. After determining this was not a good candidate for a drill because of the lack of groundwater available, we went to work on implementing rainwater catchment and purification systems around the community, beginning with the local primary school this summer.

Tuale Primary School | Isiolo County, Kenya – The community of Tuale, in rural Kenya, is home to about 4,000people. Previously, the community relied on a shallow hand pump well for water, but in 2015, the system was damaged by elephants, leaving the community to their current source of water, the Waso River or a dam 10 km away. The water is not clean, and at Tuale Primary School, where 210 students attend, it is very evident that most of the children in this community have ongoing water illnesses, hindering their education and wellbeing.

But, thanks to our highest fundraising Shower Strike team, Obidos Logistics (led by Steven and Carmel Daigh), our technical team is currently in the process of installing a rainwater catchment and purification system at the school to provide plentiful clean water to the students and their families. We began installation with guttering and storage tanks and will complete the water project in the coming months with the installation of the UV filtration units.

Continuing the Impact

Shower Strike enables us to continue bringing clean water to more deserving communities every year. Without the support of our dedicated Shower Strikers and donors, we wouldn’t be able to do this work. So, thank you to all who made Shower Strike 2022 so impactful, and if you haven’t participated yet, learn more about this powerful campaign and watch out for announcements about the next one in April 2023!