PRESS RELEASE
Commissioning of Lobolo-Namukuse-Longech WASH Project in Turkana Central
Access to safe drinking water and improved hygiene and sanitation practices
TURKANA, Kenya, 16 November 2012 – More than 7,000 residents of Lobolo, Namukuse and Longech sub-locations in Turkana Central are benefiting from a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene project funded by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in partnership with UNICEF. The Lobolo-Namukuse-Longech WASH project was constructed in 2011 in response to recurrent cholera outbreaks and other water-related diseases in the region.
Turkana County is plagued by constant dry spells resulting in low water and sanitation coverage at a dismal 44% and 1% respectively (WASH Baseline Survey). According to the 2009 Kenya National Census, only 37% of families in Turkana have access to improved water. As such, cholera is a constant threat to child survival contributing to an under-five mortality rate of 117 per every 1,000 live births in Turkana, and impeding Kenya’s efforts to end preventable child deaths.
In addition, communities in Turkana Central District have for many years relied on water from Lake Turkana which is high in fluoride and harmful to their health. The project therefore involved construction of spring collection boxes to tap into the natural, safe and reliableunderground spring water. An efficient and environmentally-friendly solar pumping system ensures that the water is pumped toreservoirs closer to the communities.
The Lobolo-Namukuse-Longech WASH Project will be officially commissioned by the Netherlands Ambassador to Kenya, H. E. Joost Reintjes on 16 November 2012. The project was constructed at a total cost of KShs.20,805,894(approx.USD253,730) with funding from the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in partnership with UNICEF, with the support of the Government of Kenya and the Kenya Red Cross Society.
Through this WASH project 1,347 school-going children from four local schools now have access to safe water as well as improved hygiene and sanitation practices. The project also supplies water to a health facility in Namukuse sub-location thus improving healthcare for the community.
Other WASH facilities that have been constructed include community water kiosks and gender-sensitive segregated latrines in schools and in the local health facility. The school latrines also address the critical issue of menstrual hygiene for school girls by providing bathroomsand hand-washing facilities. To reinforce good hygiene and sanitation practices, these latrines are painted with talking walls (murals) for ease of understanding and dissemination of key sanitation messages.
“They have built for us four toilets and one bathroom,”says 16 year old Diana Ekai, a student at Namukuse Primary School.“When we didn’t have this we used to stay home when menstruating while the boys continued studying. One could stay home for 4 to 5 days or even one week. When you get back to school you find that others are ahead and you are left behind so the boys always had better results than the girls. But now when we have our menses we can come to this bathroom, clean ourselves and change then go back to class like any other student.”
According to the 2012 Progress Report on Committing to Child Survival: A Promise Renewed, unsafe drinking water and poor or absent sanitation services are very significant contributors to child mortality. The Lobolo-Namukuse-Longech WASH Project will therefore play a key role in ensuring that children in Turkana Central District have greater chances of surviving, developing and thriving.
For UNICEF and its partners, the most important step in providing universal access is to address the inequities which exist in all regions and at all levels where the poorest children and women are most affected.
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About UNICEF
UNICEF works in 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit:
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About Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS)
The Kenya Red Cross Society is a humanitarian relief organisation created through an Act of Parliament, Cap 256 of the Laws of Kenya of 21st December 1965. As a voluntary organisation, the Kenya Red Cross operates through a network of 58 branches and six regional offices throughout Kenya.For more information about KRCS and its work visit:
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