Nyakio Secondary: The Dawn of a New Era

This past summer, Well Aware drilled boreholes in two communities, providing them with lifelong access to clean drinking water. One of the communities that was a recipient of a Well Aware water project is Nyakio Secondary School in Kenya.

The Nyakio name might sound familiar for those of you that have been here since the early days. And that’s because we rehabilitated a broken well, drilled and left by another organization, at Nyakio Primary School in 2014. When we first visited this community 10 years ago, education ended for the majority of children after grade 5. The Primary school was small itself with a very low attendance rate, as most students had to put collecting water as a priority above attending school. 10 years later, we are honored to drill a new borehole at their brand new secondary school! Because of the access to clean water the Nyakio community received in 2014, students were able to stay in school, the community developed, and now students are receiving a higher education, which opens doors for so many opportunities.

That being said, these schools are a few kilometers from each other and for secondary students to get water, they needed to walk for about an hour. But not anymore.

This community of once 1,500 residents, now 5,000, have only had access to this one water point up until this summer. Imagine in your town, everyone had to go to one single place to get their water. When the lines were long or the recharge couldn’t keep up with the need, they turned to an open dam that was kilometers away, and its water was unfit for human consumption. When dry periods commenced, even the dam dried up, leaving the members in survival mode and at the mercy of water vendors. In such times, these residents who live on under two dollars a day are caught in a dilemma of either buying water for drinking and household use or buying their families food. One member in particular expressed, ”When the dry season hits, it’s the worst time for my family; with the little earned from manual labor, I don’t know if I should buy my family maize flour to eat or buy water to drink, and if the water I buy is enough for my family and my cattle, such times are a real test for the whole village.”

Over the years, the community has risen over their challenges by continuously and selflessly sharing. Those that are lucky enough to have water tanks, harvest water in the rainy season and share just enough for cooking and drinking with those in need. Even before Well Aware got involved in this community, they had a sense of unity, perseverance and above all the will to be the sole guardians of water, and 10 years later this has not changed.

With the rapid growth of this community in the past 10 years, they were in desperate need of a solution.

This new well stands as a new dawn for the Nyakio community; old women and young children alike will experience a safer and more stable life, allowing the kids enough time to focus on their studies and their futures. Families will thrive, and people can save their earnings with a strengthened unity and purpose. People will have the ability to focus on other aspects of community development and continue supporting each other in new and meaningful ways.

Unfortunately, rural schools in Kenya have a difficult time getting support from their county education office unless they are a certain size. Now, Nyakio Secondary will grow and they are hopeful for the future involvement of the education office and other organizations in their welfare.

Everything changed for the students of Nyakio Secondary this summer. A new, life-changing solution, a borehole that will provide clean and safe drinking water, right in the heart of Nyakio Secondary. The day the borehole was completed will always remain etched in the memories of the community and in myself. As we watched the water splash out of the borehole, forming little streams that flowed like tiny rivers, the villagers knew it was the dawn of a new era. The villagers erupted in songs of jubilation, women, men and children alike danced and sang, their faces alight with relief and joy.

For them, this borehole is not just a source of water; it is a well of hope- a promise of a brighter, healthier future.

For the past 10 years, clean water has been the driving force behind the community’s growth, fostering an environment where dreams could be nurtured and ambitions realized. This borehole, a symbol of new hope and progress, stands as a testament to what can be achieved when communities are empowered with the resources they need to succeed. It is a beacon of hope, guiding the Nyakio community towards a brighter future. Their story is a testament to the Ripple Effect clean water can have on the lives of those who need it most.

As the dawn of this new era rises for Nyakio, we are grateful to be partnered with them for every season.

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