The short rains have not yet come to the Rift Valley this season. Nairobi and the surrounding area have received rain but the Rift Valley is still very dry. Most of the water available in local watering holes has dried up and the few streams in the area have been dry for months. The standing water available has the consistency and color of chocolate milk.
Yesterday, December 7th, after driving more than 60 kilometers over dry, dusty roads, our crew on the ground in Kenya delivered 30 25-gallon Polyurethane Rain Barrels to 60 families in 15 Maasai villages. Every two families in a village received one barrel.
Some villages received more than one or two barrels due to a large number of family members. Barnabas Mutua, “Action” Jackson Kanga and Dr. Mereu of the Ewaso Clinic delivered the Rain Barrels to a grateful Maasai population.
30 Rain Barrels may seem like nothing more than a “drop in the bucket” to us, however, for the Maasai receiving them it is a life-saving miracle. Not only will they continue to retrieve their water from local sources and clean it with our Portable Water Filtration Systems, they now can collect and store rainwater for use during the dry seasons when water availability is at a premium. These Rain Barrels are DROUGHT INSURANCE – something few villages can afford because of the high cost to them of a single Rain Barrel.
For only $22 you can provide a life-saving DROUGHT INSURANCE POLICY in the form of a Rain Barrel to a desperate and very grateful Maasai village. These Rain Barrels are tough, and UV Resistant and will last for many years to come. Clean Water provides health, educational and economic benefits that are long-term and far-reaching. Can you help with the purchase of even One Rain Barrel?
Until the end of this December Clean Water Kenya will be collecting money for Rain Barrels to provide as many villages as we can during the current rainy season. The next season begins the end of April 2017. After the first of next year we’ll be running our ADOPT A VILLAGE ’17 Campaign and hope to raise enough funds to have 100 Rain Barrels in place by then. Please help as you can.
From everyone at Clean Water Kenya here in the States (Jeff Rock, Diane Anderson and Ken and Judy Clark) and from our Volunteers in Kenya (Barnabas Mutua and Family, Jackson Kanga and Dr. Mereu and Family), we wish everyone an enjoyable, safe and healthy Holiday Season.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support in bringing clean, disease-free drinking water to the Maasai of the Great Rift Valley of Kenya.
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We will continue to share our experiences with our readers as we travel the Kenyan Rift Valley. If you enjoy learning more about the Maasai and their lives, please consider a donation that will help us deliver them clean water systems.
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