The water project that QUENCHED Nduriri Community
Love for service and a desire to empower the community was incentive enough for members of the Rotary Club of Nairobi Lang’ata (RCL) and friends, to visit the Nduriri Secondary School in Kiambu County and hand over a Water Harvesting Project on 8th February 2020.
Nduriri is a remote countryside village located on the foothills of the Aberdare Range which is about 65km North East of Nairobi. The Rotary convoy of about 50 Rotarians navigated picturesque hills carpeted with tea plantations and clusters of homesteads amid poor, narrow roads.
During the handover, the visitors and school community comprising teachers, students and parents congregated at the hall where one speaker after another took to the stage to motivate the over 100 students present. Donations of sanitary pads, notepads, dairy products and clothes from Rotarians of goodwill were also presented during the session. The Rotary Club of Nairobi Lang’ata President, Michael Kimani then officially placed the project in the hands of the humble, soft-spoken yet tough Principal of the School, Mr. Asava. This ushered the Rotarians and Rotaractors alike to break out and interact more intimately with smaller groups of students and teachers and share their nuggets of wisdom
The Water Harvesting project worth £3,100.00 came to life in partnership with the Rotary Club of Dunfermline-Scotland. It was driven by the vision that students would focus more on their academic progress instead of their dreaded shift at carrying a 20-litre jerrican of water up the steep, 45 degree, 300m hill from the stream. The noble project was carried out in two phases. In the first phase carried out in 2017/18, RCL planted 1000 seedlings to help raise funds for the school’s new roof. The second phase saw the installation of gutters and water tanks that would help with harvesting of rainwater
The invigorating Water Project would ensure that students are less fatigued by carrying water and more energized to study. It would refresh their self-confidence as they observed personal hygiene while studying in a sanitary environment with less fears of waterborne diseases. It would revitalize the teachers and quench their desires for better grades. Nduriri would thrive with a more productive, happier, healthier community
Article by: Emily Manjeru – Rotary Club of Nairobi Lang’ata
Emily is currently engaged as the Communications Manager for Africa at Smile Train and perceives work as a service. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism from the United States International University- Africa (USIU-A). Her 9-year career as a Public Relations consultant has seen her hone her skills in media relations and training, event management, social media, conference moderating and feature writing. Emily is passionate about working with people and forming fulfilling relationships, sharing ideas and volunteering to worthwhile projects and events within the community. To this end she is a mentor of high school students, a Toastmaster and Rotarian. She enjoys performing arts-theatre and drama, reading novels and current affairs publications, writing short stories, travelling, listening to music, and watching films and documentaries.