About this project
*Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene
Since 2013, The Rotary Foundation has invested in more than $130 million in over 2000 projects worldwide. Through this investment, our volunteers of action have improved access to safely managed and basic WASH services to communities, schools and healthcare facilities, while protecting and conserving water resources.
Watamu is a small coastal town in Kilifi County, 100km or so north of Mombasa, Kenya:
Primary Host Partner is Rotary E-Club of 9212 Safari, Kenya
Primary International Host Partner is Rotary Club of Norwich Blackfriars, UK
Additional Partners: Rotary Clubs of Houston, USA, Aylsham, UK and Sudbury, UK
Our contribution: CAD$5,000 (US$3,552)
1. Construction of a block of girls' toilet in Gede Primary School and a boys' and girls' toilet in Jimba-Gede Primary School
October 2025: the Gede primary (elementary) school has 4 toilets for 850 girls; the toilets pits at Jimba-Gede primary school have filled up and are no longer usable.
The school population has greatly increased since the introduction of free, mandatory primary education back in 2002 and the school facilities were never improved to meet the new demand and secondly most of the toilets were constructed more than 25 years ago and have little to no repairs done to them.
In Gede primary, there was an effort to construct a new girls 20 cubicles that stalled for two years by the time of needs assessment. This left a halfway dug open pit that rendered four of the eight existing girls toilet inaccessible and making the toilet ratio even worse. The plan is to complete this pit, using the same already approved plan that is recommended by the ministries of education and public health. In Jimba-Gede primary both boys' and girls' two pit latrines have filled-up. Additionally, the toilets superstructure itself are too old and damaged
The Jimba-Gede boys’ toilets:
2. Hand washing facility
Both schools have borehole water but need a modern hand-washing system that draws water.
3. Train students on WASH
This will be done as a sustainability measure. A training manual implemented by one of the club member's work will be used that train students in a fun and involving way on proper use of toilet facilities, washing hands and the direct relation to disease prevention. This shall be implemented by the member's work team by training the school's Hygiene club members who can then train the school students in bits during assemblies.
June 2026: Global Grant approved by The Rotary Foundation, work to commence shortly. Our friends in Rotary E-Club of 9212 Safari, Kenya, have promised to take lots of pictures!
