Last week our US Board of Directors was in Orinie Village, Kenya where an existing health clinic is operating without water. Lack of water means the health clinic can only provide nutritional support and immunizations leaving 30,000 people without access to proper medical care. By implementing our water security strategy at Orinie Village we’ll bring water security to 2,600 community members, 250 primary school students, and the health clinic.
Currently 15% of primary school children experience marasmus, severe malnutrition resulting in a weight of under 60% for their age. While the county government provides porridge for the children, without water there is no way to cook it. The health clinic has tried growing vegetables to support the students but lack of water and a persistent 4 year drought has made that effort unsuccessful.
Access to maternal healthcare is also an issue. The health clinic is situated at the center of 8 surrounding villages totaling a population of 30,000 people. Women give birth at home but in the event of an emergency, they are 17 kilometers away from the nearest medical care. Without a road system or vehicles, the journey is made via donkey. High mortality rates among women and babies exist because of this.
For these reasons, Orinie Village has been identified as our next partner community for water security. Their exceptional leadership, central location, and displayed motivation to improve their lives give our leadership team the confidence that the project will have a lasting impact on the community’s physical, spiritual, and mental health.
The Orinie water project will require $60,000 in financial capital to implement. Funding from this year's 6k for Water will jumpstart the fundraising effort. You can join us on Saturday, June 10, wherever you are, and walk 6k to help bring water access to Orinie. Direct donations to this project can also be made at HERE
