​Risa Borehole Rehab/ Shallow Well Project:
Problem: Around 1,500 people call the village of Risa home. For a long time, the closest water source was at the Iremito gate of the Amboseli National Park, approximately five kilometers to the south. Unfortunately this source did not provide reliably year round, so women had no choice but to travel even farther to water sources like swamps and ponds. It was not uncommon for women to be gone eight or nine hours, every day. A few years ago, a well was dug but it failed to provide an adequate supply to all the villagers.

Solution: WILK came to Risa expecting the solution to be simple: drill the well deeper, and get a better pump. However, testing revealed that drilling deeper could be dangerous, so WILK and the villagers had to get creative. After a few community meetings, the plans were set; a rainwater harvesting system would be installed to the village’s primary school. Gutters would collect the rains off the roof, and the water would collect in storage tanks right by the school. 

Status: completed

Impact: The solution was simple and cost-effective, and now the children can better focus on their studies.