Kenya: East African Breweries Ltd donated Ksh 5.7 to African Medical and Research Foundation

East African Breweries Ltd Foundation has donated Ksh 5.7 million (US$8000) towards African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) water and basic sanitation activities in Kenya, the foundation informed July 02.

Receiving the cheque from the EABL Foundation Trustee, Mr Josephat Ngile, AMREF Kenya Country Director Ms Mette Kjaer said that the money will go towards rehabilitating four boreholes in Kajiado District. Studies carried out in Kajiado showed that over 60% of the 400 community-owned boreholes in the district were not operational due to lack of ownership and poor management by the local people. During rehabilitation, AMREF takes measures to overcome the problem of ownership by empowering communities to own, manage, maintain and sustain the boreholes.

"Kajiado is one of the districts that have suffered severe drought during the past three years and this generous donation will go a long way in ensuring that the pastoral communities have access to water," Ms Kjaer added. In addition the community members are trained on how to maintain and service the boreholes. Acknowledging the donation, Mr Joseph Sayialel, a Kajiado community representative said: "We will work with AMREF in this one year project to ensure that all boreholes are successfully completed and sustained."

Kajiado District is classified as semi-arid with a mean annual average rainfall of 750mm. It covers an area of 21,105Km² with an estimated population of 600,000 people. Water shortage forms the most formidable challenge for the people of Kajiado, and boreholes are the only reliable water source all year round. In Kajiado, women and children bear the greatest burden of water scarcity, walking as far as 15km every day to look for it. As a result they are left with inadequate time for socio-economic activities such as education and participating in community development.

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