By Brenda Holo
For years, water scarcity shaped life at Got Oyenga Primary School in North Alego Ward, Alego Usonga Constituency Siaya County. Pupils often carried water from their homes, teachers struggled to maintain hygiene, and kitchen staff had to prepare meals with an unreliable supply that was sometimes dirty and insufficient.
That burden has eased following the implementation of the Got Oyenga Water Project under the Financing Locally Led Climate Action Programme (FLLoCA), a four-year world bank supported program enhancing resilience to climate change. The program is modeled on community development of proposals which are then financed, hence locally led.
The Got Oyenga Water Project is improving access to clean water for Got Oyenga Comprehensive school and its Special Unit. The School has 552 learners, including 20 special needs learners who depend on reliable water for personal care, classroom cleanliness and activities of daily living. The project supplies water to the adjacent four sub-locations: Komolo, Nyamila, Hono and Nyalgunga, with an approximate population of 3,000 residents.
Lilian Auma Owiti, a Special Needs Education (SNE) teacher at the Got Oyenga Special Unit, said the project has made it easier for teachers and caregivers to clean learners, wash clothes, brush teeth, clean toilets and maintain a safe learning environment.
“Water is life, and every drop counts,” she said.
She added that water has also supported farming and irrigation activities at the school. However, she appealed for more water points at various locations within the school compound.
According to Charles Odawa, an SNE teacher at the school, learners previously used to carry water from homes for use at the school. This effort was still inadequate and the shortage affected washing, cleaning and general hygiene. The gap has been addressed through the FLLoCA water project.
The water project has strengthened the school feeding program.Florence Anyango Oduor, who has worked as the school cook for eight years, confirmed that children previously brought water to school for use in the kitchen, a task that consumed learning time and made food preparation difficult.
The improved supply now supports food preparation for about 66 SNE and lower class pupils .It is also used for drinking, handwashing, washing utensils and mopping.
Enock Otieno Juma, a grade seven pupil in the Special Unit, said learners now benefit from meals such as porridge and have access to safer drinking water.
The Headteacher Mr. Alexander Komenwa said the project has helped the school greatly by providing clean water and saving the time pupils previously spent fetching it. He said the intervention has benefited both the school and the surrounding community and urged the County Government and partners to support additional projects.
The project was identified through the North Alego Ward Climate Planning Committee. Mr. Michael Ouma Omondi, the Chairperson of the Ward Climate Change Planning Committee, said the area was identified because it has a large population and houses public facilities, including Got Oyenga Comprehensive school and Got Oyenga health centre.
The committee’s role includes educating communities on climate change, identifying mitigation measures and supporting local proposals. Mr. Omondi said the interventions included improving the water system through solarisation and fabrication of a water tower.
For Got Oyenga Comprehensive School, the project means cleaner classrooms, safer drinking water, improved feeding, better support for learners with disabilities and more time for pupils to remain in class.
Its impact shows how a locally identified climate intervention can improve education, health, dignity and community resilience at the same time.