Protected Spring for Community of Elwakana in Kenya Africa
This will provide a water source to the Elwakana Community and was the objective of our Lenten effort. This project was fully funded at $10,000 and is expected to be completed by the early Fall of 2023.  Their primary water source is Atitwa Spring, which provides sufficient water to serve the community.  However, it is difficult to access because it is located in an overgrown and unprotected area. The water is unsafe for people to consume and making them ill from water-borne diseases.  Women and children are primarily responsible for collecting the water. They try to collect the water early in the day before dirt and sediment are stirred up, mistakenly believing the water is safer to drink.  Since the spring is overgrown with grass, they fear collecting water from the spring because the surrounding area is a good hiding place for dangerous animals and snakes.

The Water Project is proposing to protect the spring by excavating around the source area of the spring and then constructing a protective reservoir for water flow, which is conveyed through a pipe in a concrete headwall to a paved
collection area.  Safe water will typically flow throughout the year and the system requires limited ongoing maintenance.  The dilapidated, rusty chlorine dispenser near the spring, which people currently do not use, will be replaced when the spring is protected.  With the community’s involvement in the construction of the protected spring, there will be a sense of responsibility and ownership for the new clean water source.  The community will be trained on
the importance of treating the water and how to safely handle and store it once collected to prevent water-borne illnesses.  Information on this project can be found at the website: The Water Project: Kenya - Elwakana Community.

Borehole well and hand pump for St. Mary’s Chepsaga Primary School
We will be partially funding this project ($6,000) to provide a safe water source for the students and faculty of this school in Kenya. Currently there is no safe and reliable water source within the school compound and as a result throughout the day students must leave the compound to retrieve water from a river which is contaminated and also dangerous. Information on this project can be found at the website: The Water Project: Kenya - St. Mary's Chepsaga Primary School

This effort will provide a well and hand pump along with latrines and handwashing stations. It will also provide training so that the school can maintain the water supply.

Our third project is a response to the Laudato Si’ objective to respond to the needs of the poor. Climate change has a significantly larger impact on the poor who are less able to mitigate its adverse consequences. Hundreds of millions of
people throughout the world do not have access to clean water resulting in poor health and reduced life expectancy. Our ministry will conduct an annual effort to support a specific water project intended to provide clean water to a community in need in a sustainable manner. We have selected a partner to work with us to meet these needs.

    2023 Lenten Project
Our 2023 Lenten fundraising provided over $16,500 in funds. These funds will be used to support two water projects. As a part of this fundraising effort the children of our religious education programs came up with the idea of walking around Walden Pond carrying a bucket of water to gain some appreciation of what the African children must do every day.