After a year of planning, testing, and conducting intensive surveys to find where groundwater may be accessed, an Israeli non-profit has found a location where it can potentially provide water to over 5,000 people in Kenya.
IsraAID expects that it will take two weeks to drill the borehole, located outside the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana West, followed by intensive water quality testing and installation of solar-powered pumps and taps.
The Horn of Africa, where Kenya is located, is experiencing its fifth consecutive failed rainy season, and many families are living on as little as seven liters of water a week. This is far below the 15 liters per person per day recommended by the UN for emergency situations.
As such, the organization is also rehabilitating damaged boreholes in the area to bring water to many more people. IsraAID works closely with all local water authorities, and is training community water committees in the operation and maintenance of new boreholes.
IsraAID began responding to the refugee crisis in Kenya in 2013, serving both the refugee and host communities in Turkana West County. Kakuma Refugee Camp and the nearby Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement are home to over 230,000 refugees from more than 10 countries, including South Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, Ethiopia and more.
“We’re incredibly excited to be breaking ground on this new borehole that has the potential to support so many people in Kakuma,” said Gayle Deighton, IsraAID Kenya’s Country Director.
“IsraAID has been working in Kenya since 2013, and this project is part of our long-term commitment to building resilience among both the local and refugee communities in Kakuma,” she said.
“We’ve seen the devastating impact of this drought, the worst in over 40 years, and how it has impacted every area of life here. We look forward to helping ensure that families have access to clean, safe water.”
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