This project was initiated in 1998 with the generous support from the Headley Trust, UK ( one of the Lord Sainsbury’s Trusts) and it envisaged to ensure that: community members from Butere/ Mumias district access clean potable water, better health and sanitation, clean environment, and better protected and utilized riverbeds. These objectives were realized through the following activities:
To achieve these objectives, ROA adopted three strategies.
First it trained artisans to provide the much needed skilled labour in the protection of springs, digging of wells and construction of VIP toilets as well as their maintenance.
Secondly, it trained the Springs Management Committee members consisting of the chairperson, secretary, treasurer, cleanliness and hygiene in-charge (Mama Safi in Swahili language) and the land owner.
Finally, the committee was tasked with overseeing the daily use of the water points and toilets, general maintenance and repairs of these facilities.
At the end of the project in 2004, it had yielded the following results:
SUB COUNTY | SPRINGS | HAND-DUG WELLS | VIP TOILETS |
Butere | 29 | 5 | 30 twin door units |
Lurambi | 39 | 5 | 9 twin door units |
Khwisero; | 19 | 2 twin door units | |
TOTAL | 87 | 8 | 41 |
The project had a significant impact on the community. The prevalence of morbidity associated with waterborne diseases in the project area reduced drastically. Schools that had insufficient or deplorable toilet facilities witnessed an improved performance of their students. The availability of clean and safe water enabled the community members to undertake other income generating activities using the commodity as a resource.
Further, the level of community awareness on hygiene and sanitation issues increased. With public health lessons and water now available in schools water related skin conditions, childhood diarrhea and worm infestation went down, according to available data.
Rural Outreach Africa (ROA) partnered with the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) to promote Drought TEGO™ maize hybrids, a water efficient maize variety in the four counties of western Kenya: Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia and Bungoma.
ROA is a partner in the implementation of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)-funded Sustainable Land Management (SLM) project, in Kakamega, Vihiga and Nandi counties of Western Kenya.
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)-funded soil health project dubbed Integrated Soil Fertility (ISFM) was implemented from 2011 to 2014 for phase one, and 2015 to 2018 for phase two.
A pilot research project looking at human-centred design approaches in addressing the labor burden of ageing smallholder farmers in Kenya by improving the design of farming tools.
The Food Security and Nutrition Improvement intervention in Western Kenya came at a time when the country was reportedly 400,000 MT in deficit on the main staple crop. This resulted from the fact that 4 million people were in dire need of food aid after the country was hit by its worst drought in 37 years and was expected to worsen.
The project mainly concentrated on Corchorus olitorus (Jews-mallow) Crotaloria brevidens (Sun hemp), Gynadropsis gyanandra (black nightshade), Amaranths ssp (amaranths) and Vigna ungiculata (Cowpeas). An impact assessment in the last year of the project revealed that 70% of the project beneficiaries were women, and 12% youth farmers.
ROA in collaboration with Gatsby Foundation-UK set up the Shikunga HIV/AIDS Resource Center in 2003 in Butere sub-county. This was a community-initiated project derived from the need by the local community project management committee to respond to challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
In October 2018, ROA distributed sanitary pads to girls in a few schools in Kakamega County as a menstrual hygiene intervention to reduce school absenteeism. ROA staffs Doris, Makeba and Andala presented 99 packets of pads to classes 7 and 8 girls in Emukangu primary school.