Water & Education, Kenya - Case Study

From 1991 on more than 50 schools has been established in the region south of Mombassa by the Dutch foundation Verkaart
Development Team. Besides education, the schools are also used for providing clean drinking water to the children and the locals. Twice a year during rainy season rainwater is harvested in the surrounding ponds and lakes. And also rainwater from the roofs of the school is collected in big tanks. However this water is not 100% safe drinking water. In several villages, Villagepump 500 has been installed in order to purify the harvested rainwater. The purified water is given for free to the children of the school. Locals can buy the water for a low price. With the money raised by selling the water, the maintenance costs for the Villagepumps are covered. This combination of rain water harvesting and purifiying water, managed by a school, is an excellent example of a sustainable long-term solution for providing clean drinking water.