In Kibera, a sprawling informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, access to clean water has long been a luxury for its estimated 250,000 residents. The community, characterized by houses made of mud and tin sheeting, has struggled with basic necessities like electricity and safe drinking water. However, an innovative solution by a local organization is making waves in public health and changing lives.
Shining Hope for Communities, known as SHOFCO, has implemented an aerial piping system that brings clean, affordable water to Kibera’s residents. This unique approach bypasses the need for disruptive underground infrastructure, instead running pipes above the streets to deliver water to community kiosks.
The impact has been significant. Samuel Onyango, principal of Kibera Primary School, has witnessed a dramatic improvement in his students’ and staff’s health, particularly GI health, since connecting to SHOFCO’s water system. “Once we got connected to SHOFCO’s water, cases of these ailments reduced to nil,” Onyango said in an interview with Harvard Public Health.
The system currently serves about 40,000 people, distributing over 14 million liters of clean water monthly. Residents access the water using tokens linked to mobile money accounts, paying a fraction of what they previously spent on potentially contaminated water from independent suppliers.
SHOFCO’s efforts extend beyond water provision. They also focus on sanitation and hygiene education, creating a multi-faceted approach to community health. A recent evaluation showed a 31% decrease in diarrheal diseases among children under five in areas using SHOFCO’s water kiosks and receiving their sanitation messaging.
For residents like Mohammed Suleiman, who previously contracted typhoid from unsanitary water, the change has been life-altering. “Water sourced from SHOFCO is cleaner than that of other vendors,” Suleiman said in an interview with Harvard Public Health. “I don’t have to treat water from [SHOFCO] kiosks before consuming it.”
This innovative solution not only addresses immediate health concerns but also demonstrates the power of grassroots initiatives in tackling complex urban challenges. As Kennedy Odede, SHOFCO’s founder and CEO, put it, “As somebody who grew up in Kibera, to see this clean water—which I have also drank—is powerful.”
Read the full article by Lenny Rashid Ruvaga in Harvard Public Health: How Kibera’s water woes vanished into thin air
Read about SHOFCO’s WASH approach.
Watch this video from KTN News, Kenya.