Gundua Foundation has initiated a major initiative to secure water supply at the Gundua schools and in the neighboring villages in northern Kenya. The project is a collaboration on water technology with SIDA and the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi.
The Gundua Foundation has a long-term commitment to helping poor children and young people get a better education. The foundation was established in 2007 and has since worked to give children and young people a better quality of life through education and health care in a very poor rural area in northern Kenya. Today the school accommodates more than 900 students and is among the top three schools in the region.
The community Ex-Lewa, located at an altitude of abt.2,400 meters at the foot of Mt Kenya, is in a poor agricultural area inhabited by small-scale farmers struggling for a better life. The two annual rain seasons have become increasingly unpredictable and irregular, leading to low harvests and food scarcity. The lack of water also affects household sanitation and hygiene, which increases the spread of waterborne diseases.
The initiative, which goes by the name My Tank, aims to counter this water shortage by implementing a rainwater harvesting system. The primary objective of the project is to enhance access to clean water for the target beneficiaries, leading to improved quality of life and socio-economic development in the area. The project will involve the distribution of subsidized water tanks and gutters to 400 vulnerable households for rainwater harvesting purposes. Additionally, these households will receive fruit trees such as mangoes, avocadoes, tree tomatoes and passion fruit, to improve their food security and contribute to their economic well-being.
My Tank is an initiative of the Gundua Foundation and is administered by the Foundation’s chief Administrative Officer on site in Kisima, Mr Charlie Dyer. The project will be implemented in collaboration with the schools’ management, parents, and the local community, who will be involved in the construction of the concrete tanks, maintenance, and management of the water harvesting system. The water tanks and gutters will be provided to the households at a subsidized price.
--We have assessed this project to have a catalytic role and are very happy to implement it together with Gundua Foundation, says Ambassador Caroline Vicini, at the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi. The project will create great learning opportunities for both neighboring villages and schools as well as for similar communities in Kenya’s dryland which makes up about 70 % of the country. This is in line with overall goals of Swedish development cooperation in Kenya as it addresses key issues like poverty alleviation, sustainable development and gender equality. By strengthening vulnerable households, and especially women, the project will contribute to the broader goal of creating improved living conditions, adds the Ambassador.
--We are proud to be able to implement this important project together with SIDA and the Swedish Embassy in Nairobi, says Richard Ohlson, Chairman of the Gundua Foundation. This will give the schools and household a concrete and sustainable opportunity for safer food supply and thus a better living standard. We are now looking forward to starting the construction and installing the tanks.
About the Gundua Foundation
The Gundua Foundation, established in 2007, aims to help improve reading and writing skills and the general educational level in Kenya. These are prerequisites for democracy and good living standards. Giving children and young people the chance to go to school and to receive a proper education is one of the most important tasks of any society. Education is a win-win situation whether you see it as an investment in economic growth and increased wellbeing. The Foundation works primarily through concrete efforts in education in Ex-Lewa in northern Kenya.
Gundua Schools accommodate more than 900 students from kindergarten to primary and secondary schools and are now ranked among the best in the area. The Foundation is run on a non-profit basis with a 90-account status by the members of the board. Richard Ohlson is Chairman and H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is the Foundation’s Patron.
For more information, please contact
Richard Ohlson, +46 70 975 99 11
Contacts
Richard Ohlson, Gundua Foundation, richardo@gunduafoundation.org
Charlie Dyer, Gundua Foundation, charlie@kisima.co.ke
Caroline Vicini, Sweden’s Ambassador in Kenya, caroline.vicini@gov.se
Amra Turcinhodzic, Swedish Embassy in Nairobi , amra.turcinhodzic@gov.se
Annika Otterstedt, Swedish Embassy in Nairobi, annika.otterstedt@gov.se