Launch of water sanitation and hygiene hub in Bomet

Speaking at the launch, Dig Deep Africa program director Justus Tanui said the center will help partners share ideas and analyze data on how to implement WASH projects in the county. Said to be used.

“The main objective of this hub is to ensure a one-stop shop for the implementation of WASH projects within the county. We recognize that counties have competing interests in sharing resources, but partners By coming together, we will definitely reduce the burden on the county,” Tanui said.

At the same time, Tanui said the organization is working on water projects in the county through spring water protection and rainwater harvesting in schools.

“As Dig Deep, we have done a lot of work in the water. We have done spring protection and rainwater harvesting in schools in areas such as Chepalungu and lower Bomet East areas. , we also want to try collecting rainwater at tea purchasing centers in tea-growing areas,” Tanui said.

Bomet County Governor Hilary Blachok said the hub will be ICT-enabled and will allow stakeholders to hold meetings within and outside Kenya without having to travel.

“We know that travel and time is money. The very powerful ICT equipment installed at this hub will enable meetings and training with international partners. We will be conducting a lot of training for capacity building in the field,” he added.

Dig Deep CEO Ben Skelton said the organization believes everyone should have access to clean water, safe sanitation and good hygiene. .

“In 2022, we will launch the Bomet WASH Master Plan in collaboration with the Bomet County Government to achieve universal access to clean water, safe sanitation and good hygiene for all residents of Bomet County. “We have set out a roadmap to achieve this,” he said.

The Master Plan sets out four phases of strategic WASH interventions from 2022 to 2050, costing US$398 million (SIL 470 billion), with the first phase from 2023 to 2027. .

While developing the plan, Skelton said the main barriers for his organization to achieve its WASH goals were a lack of coordination between county departments and NGOs, a lack of data, and further training for WASH partners across the county. He said that he realized that there was a need for

“Today, Governors are launching the WASH Hub, a one-stop-shop to strengthen collaboration between partners, share data and provide critical training to women working hard to achieve quality water and sanitation.” I'm so excited to have launched my shop, WASH Hub.

“This hub is about bringing everyone in the WASH sector together to accelerate our goal of delivering vital services to everyone in the county,” he added.

Dig Deep WASH System leader Joe Hook said the center will bring more resources to the county and build partner and county capacity.

“This hub will enable people to speak across Kenya and internationally. This will mean we can bring in talent with expertise to train our experts, technical staff and decision makers. means.”

“It also allows us to bring in funding and resources and build capacity across partners, county government officials, and departments. It’s about building relationships, common purpose, and a shared mission. It’s about doing these things together,” Hook said.

Dig Deep Africa project director Nikki Roneau said 190 villages in Bomet district had been declared open defecation-free (ODF) under the organization's Community-Led Integrated Sanitation (CLTS) project.

“We are working with the district government to declare 80 other villages as ODF. We are also conducting post-ODF interventions to ensure that the villages do not reoccur. We do this by promoting easily accessible hygiene options,” Roneau said.

The organization also restores 12 springs in the county to ensure a constant flow of clean water to surrounding communities.

“Our spring protection program secures water sources to ensure they are not contaminated, installs water storage tanks, and fences off areas to ensure the environment is protected.”

“The purpose of conservation is to make water clean for communities and available to everyone, including children, the elderly and people with disabilities. It also tests to ensure it is fit for drinking. ” said Joanne Chemtai, Dig Deep (Africa) program manager.

The organization implements WASH in schools, providing easy-to-use toilet seats, building unisex pit latrines, and providing hygiene education.

“The girls' restroom has a toilet and a sanitary napkin disposal area. The restroom is used by female students to wash themselves during their menstrual periods. This program has helped eliminate the stigma surrounding periods. The enrollment rate of girls who were absent has increased,” Chemtai added.