A women group based in Migori County has received twelve water tanks with a capacity of ten thousand liters National Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization courtesy of (MYWO) to ensure water harvesting takes place in the rural areas to ease the life of the rural woman who has to walk long distances to fetch water.
The Chuma Mbili Sisters members led by Rose Awino Akello and Everlyn Rabongo said women in the rural areas have to walk for a long distance to fetch water which is a necessity and whose process of carrying becomes detrimental to their health, which is what has fueled the MYWO Water Tank Project.
Mrs. Akello said as women, there is a great need for harvesting water thus availability of water in homes would significantly reduce cases of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation among girls as most are taken advantage of when out seeking water.
Mrs. Rabongo in support encouraged members of Maendeleo to donate funds and buy a water tank for needy women in different parts of the county.
Suna East Deputy County Commissioner Patrick Karani said harvesting of water has for long been sensitized in Kenya with an obvious existing gap of the availability of storage containers to enable the process which is the gap the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization filled to ensure the best welfare for the rural Chuma Mbili Sisters woman.
Karani who stood for the County Commissioner Mwangi Meru said asked the MYWO to do the same to all women groups in the county to avoid cases of rape and GBV.
National Head of NGOs Nixon Seko said the project which was launched on December 15, 2020 by President Uhuru Kenyatta in support of the empowerment of women is to curb the loss of millions of water during the wet season in different parts of the country which leads to killer floods that leave behind deaths and destruction.
Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization treasurer Mrs. Susan Owino said they partnered with Equity Bank Kenya to fulfill the water tank dream saying Chuma Mbili Sisters will pay the affordable credit of Ksh63,000 in form of a 36-months repayment plan in exchange for the tank including financial literacy and entrepreneurship training.
Mrs. Owino said water tanks project is a result of a successful Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Maendeleo Ya Wanawake Organization, Musoni Microfinance and Ndumu Water Tanks with the goal of ensuring that every rural household has tapped water in its compound.
By LTN Reporter
