Mwinthya is 10 years old. She is the fourth born of eight siblings; the youngest three are eight-month-old triplets. Mwinthya and her family live in a rural area of Kyuso District, Kenya. Kyuso is a very arid part of Kenya that has been suffering from climate change and drought for years.

Water used to be hard to come by for Mwinthya and her family. Because they had no clean water near their home, she and her family would make an eight-mile trip every three days to a man-made earthen dam that caught rainwater runoff. At the dam, they’d collect the water that would have to sustain all of their daily living needs - drinking, bathing, cooking, and washing. Then they would tie the jugs of water to their donkeys and bring it home in the hot, unforgiving sun.

Today, it is a different story for Mwinthya and her family! Her village now has a new borehole well that provides an ample supply of clean water, as well as new community latrines. The community has also received health education as well as training for their local leaders and government. Now Mwinthya and her family are experiencing better health and spend significantly less time collecting water.

Thank you for helping people like Mwinthya gain access to safe water and sanitation!