As mentioned in our last Kenya update, word has spread about Voss Foundation and Milgis Trust water projects in the Samburu area – and many expressed their interest in getting access to clean and safe water. After a thorough needs assessment, the choice finally fell upon Masiketa, a community with about 3000 people whose water system will be funded by the Lene Marie for Clean Water campaign. Milgis Trust will rehabilitate the existing system, replacing the old diesel pump with a new solar-powered one, piping water to 4 access points serving a village kiosk, the school, the dispensary, and a location for passers-by with a remote watering hole for the Grevy’s Zebra.
Masiketa is 30km north of Elkanto, and the people there live under a permanent stress of attacks from the Turkana. However, many choose to stay because the grazing is good for their animals and their animals are their livelihood.
“What we propose here is that they already have a very good borehole, but with a very poor water system. In fact [it is] virtually obsolete [due to lack of maintenance— sadly, a very common problem in Africa, where only 7% of aid goes to maintaining existing services]. They have a very old Diesel pump, that [only] sometimes brings water up the pipeline…so it’s incredibly erratic [and has been a] problem for a long time. We believe a proper Voss Foundation project to sustain the livelihood of this very dynamic community would be fantastic!” – Helen, founder of Milgis Trust.a
Voss Foundation is happy to announce a new project in Kenya that will be built in memory of Lene Maria Bergum!