Visit by TrekkingthePlanet.net

1. This well was recently constructed (2011).
2. This well includes a trough for young animals. (Keeps the animals away for the well.)
3. Michael Lengima (son of elder) explained that the well is already making a big difference. More children are attending school. The proportion of girls attending has increased as well.
4. Michael also stated that the kids are healthier (that they often suffered from diarrhea before the well was drilled).
5. Finally Michael stated that the community spends more time closer to the village because they aren’t all out looking for water.

June VIsit

Routine Visit. Well is in good working condition.

Stephanie Ng's Visit- May 2012

We arrived at Lauragi Well to find one of the wazees (or elders), Mr. Njongi Lemirdana, there with his wife and daughter. He began by saying that it is very much inspiring to see the people that brought this well come back and visit them; to him, it signifies that we are friends to this community. He conveyed that we will always be welcomed in this community.

When asked who uses this well, Mr. Njongi answered it by saying that when he comes in the morning or midday, it is entirely crowded by women and they won’t let the men near the well. He said that the women used to walk all day in search of water. Moreover, the time spent looking for water was compounded by the fact that once they did find a watering hole, they would have to spend many hours for the water to collect to an amount that was suitable to carry home. With this well, it takes only two minutes for Mr. Njongi and his family to get safe, clean drinking water and 1 hour total (here and back) for the farthest person serviced by this well.

This water is primarily used for drinking/cooking and bathing – more than two hundred people bathe near the well every day. In order to prevent the well from being contaminated, everyone knows to the pump the water from the well and take the bucket and go away from the well to bathe.

Instead of having to spend the entire day in search of water, women now have time to go to the marketplace which is about two hours one way to sell and trade their livestock. They also spend this saved time to properly look after their animals and find firewood.

Nr. Njongi continued by saying that this well has really improved their lives in many different ways. First, before this well, small goats used to wander around and get lost. Now, this well has become a meeting point- if the livestock isn’t at home, the owners know that they are at the well. Because of this well, no more animals are getting lost which is a huge financial gain for the community.

Secondly, everyone is very happy partly because they are a lot cleaner. In particular, the older people who couldn’t go far to get water now are a lot cleaner and better able to take care of their needs. Moreover the community is healthier; no one is afflicted by diarrhea on a daily basis anymore. Before, they used to treat diarrhea with herbs but most people would die because they did not have access to clean water to stay hydrated. There are no more deaths due to diarrhea.

Thirdly, because of this well, a nursery has been born which cares for more than 65 small children. In this whole region, more than 600 children go to primary school and the ratio of boys to girls is about even. Before, not many children were able to go to school but now the number has increased significantly. Now, the biggest issue facing the community is building a permanent structure for their nursery but Mr. Njongi acknowledged that without this well, they would not even have a nursery to begin with.

Njongi summed it up by saying their lives are “cool” (i.e. all good) now that they have water.

In terms of the condition of the well, Lucas pointed out that a week after the well was drilled this past August, there was a problem with the well. Fortunately, the drilling rig was nearby and it came to fix the well. Since then there has been no problems.

Before leaving the community, Lucas had a lengthy conversation with Njongi, educating him about a situation with one of our other wells that got vandalized by another organization and urging him not to let anyone to tamper with this well.

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