In many parts of southeastern Kenya, clean water remains out of reach for daily life. Families, most often women and children, routinely walk long distances, sometimes several hours round-trip, to collect water from sources that are frequently contaminated. The time lost to this task keeps children out of school and limits opportunities for parents to farm, work, or generate income.
Contaminated water also carries serious health consequences. Waterborne illnesses are a leading cause of sickness among young children in the region, placing additional strain on already limited healthcare resources and household finances. Maryknoll is helping address this need directly by constructing a solar-powered well that will provide safe drinking water to thousands of people in the Ndonguni area.
Access to clean water reflects the Catholic Social Teaching conviction that Care for God’s Creation and the Dignity of the Human Person are inseparable; water is both a gift of creation to be stewarded and a basic necessity to which every person has a right. This project also reflects Maryknoll’s charism of responding directly to the concrete, everyday needs of the communities it serves, understanding that dignity begins with something as fundamental as safe water.
Gifts to this project help bring a dependable source of clean water to a community that has long gone without one, reducing illness, freeing up time for school and work, and laying the groundwork for healthier, more secure lives.
