Mutonguni, Kenya

1,170 children in Mutonguni ADP are supported by Irish sponsors since 2005.

“In our school, the pupils used to literally eat dust from the ground,” Mr. Wano the Head Teacher of Kasue Primary School tells us. Many children used to arrive in school without having a snack in their school bag or even have eaten at all.

But that wasn’t the only problem the pupils and teachers of Kasue Primary School faced. “The playfield used to be bare and dusty. The dust got everywhere in the school and teachers’ offices. And it actually caused health problems for the children. Red eyes and even ring worms were a frequent result, driving the school’s high absenteeism rates,” Miss Mitau the Deputy Head Teacher explained.

There was only one solution: creating a fruit tree orchard. Together with World Vision, water harvesting structures were erected and a tree nursery of pawpaw trees was established. The children have been taught to look after the trees, learning about agriculture and economics since the surplus of fruit is sold to buy school materials. The children can even take seedlings home to grow with their parents. This has had a really positive impact – especially on more vulnerable families.

“It is no longer a World Vision project. We are proud to own it and drive it ourselves. We are set to go places with this project!” Mr Wano proudly explains. Kasue Primary School is one of 18 schools in the area who have established a school orchard.

So much happened in 2011 - for example...

• 94 water harvesting tanks have been installed in 70 schools giving teachers and pupils access to safe water.
• 250 voluntary community health workers were trained in general health education, malaria prevention and prevention of waterborne diseases. These volunteers will now share this knowledge with the entire community.
• Prevalence of malaria has reduced by 14% since 2007.
• 400 small scale farmers were trained in water harvesting techniques for their crops and modern farming techniques. Each received farming equipment and seeds at the end of the training.
• Latrines were established in 21 schools and 3 health centres, greatly improving hygiene and sanitation.

2012 Challenge

A recent survey showed that only 53.6% of children under 5 in Mutonguni were delivered in a health facility. Next year we will focus on increasing access to ante and postnatal care while educating mothers in the importance of giving birth in the presence of a skilled birth attendant.

Find out more about life in Kenya and how reaching clean and safe water in some areas is still a struggle.