n July 14, The Humanity Share Kenya team traveled to Orinie to host an opening ceremony and dedication service for the newly constructed borehole. At the celebration were close to 250 people from the community, with mostly women and children making up a majority of the crowd. In attendance were also chief community leaders, a member of the county assembly through the government, and various church clergy. The occasion was monumental, not only because of the added proximity to clean water but also to progress the function of the healthcare dispensary at Orinie. The healthcare dispensary makes Orinie a unique and prime location for a borehole because people from eight surrounding communities travel to the dispensary for various health-related needs. Another added benefit this brings to the dispensary is they are now in a position to consider upgrading to a hospital ward where some doctors and nurses can be placed with more permanency because the area won’t be regarded as difficult to live in without access to clean water.
Throughout the day, the impact of the borehole was being experienced as elderly women drank the fresh water with enthusiasm and joy, nurses at the dispensary opened the taps to clean water, and mothers fetched water in their jerry cans to take back home to their families. With this new borehole, people don’t have to travel long distances to nearby towns to get clean water or the nearest rivers. The children being served through Compassion International, located near the Orinie dispensary, can have their medical needs attended to, have an area to wash clothes and get clean bathes, and reduce on the prior costs they had in buying clean water from Kajiado town. The healthcare dispensary can also upgrade from using powder-based drugs to liquid drugs because of the clean water.
Mike Ndambuki, THS project manager for the borehole shared, “It was a good experience, full of emotion seeing the community experiencing access to fresh, clean water. Putting joy on the people's faces was the best thing! My favorite part was seeing a woman carrying a jerry can with water from the Orinie borehole and not having to make a long trek to the river. Another special moment was an old lady who came to ask for a drink of water because she was thirsty. After drinking, she commented how she wouldn't get tired going to the river anymore because she could now come to get water at the borehole.” Pastor John Kiroka echoed the same sentiments of joy as he witnessed how the community members jumped at the opportunity to use the water that is now flowing freely through the borehole. He shared, “As a spiritual leader, seeing the hospital dispensary becoming life was one of my favorite moments of the day. Watching the community chief taking water from the taps without the precautionary procedures that are usually required for a dirty tap, really warmed my heart. I was reminded that there is nothing better than hope. Hope has no barriers or limitations, it can even cause you to forget yourself when you are hopeful.” One of the nurses commented how this new establishment provided fresh hope for the resources and growth that can take place at the hospital. Hon. John Loisa, the government county member for Dalaletukuk Ward in Kajiado, shared his heartfelt gratitude to The Humanity Share organization for providing the community with a borehole and increasing the developmental growth of Orinie.
We continue to rejoice alongside the Orinie community for the provision of clean water through the borehole and are hopeful that the ease, accessibility, and solutions it brings will elevate the community to greater heights of hope and impact. In the words of Pastor Kiroka, “Health is the completion of blessings and we have served this community wholeheartedly in providing both health and education that go together in bringing wealth.”
