New Year Brings Good Tidings for Remote Kenyan Community

Residents of Kenya's Chanzoi village, located some 80 km from the coastal town of Mombasa, kicked off 2011 on an "Open Happiness" note with the completion and handover of a multi-intervention water and sanitation project funded by Coca-Cola and The United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The initiative, which spans three districts along the Kenyan coast and is expected to benefit 37,000 residents, will provide the community with access to clean water and sanitation through the construction of water storage tanks, rooftop water harvesting facilities and filtration galleries.

The area faces water source contamination challenges due to poor waste disposal, which prompted the formation of a behavior change campaign to mobilize communities to construct pit latrines, hand-washing facilities and other hygiene facilities using their own resources. By the end of the project, the coverage of sanitation facilities had almost doubled in the area.

More than 22 community-owned resource persons (CORPS) were trained on water management, and they are equipped to maintain the 36,000 tree seedlings planted under this project. Other unique project features include hand-washing facilities featuring small, perforated containers filled with water. These containers are hung on trees next to the washrooms for students in more than 10 schools.

Additionally, the community developed an innovative burned ash cleanser that is cheaper and more readily available than bar soap or washing powder. Finally, to ensure security, all community water collection points are located in the schools but far enough away from the classrooms to avoid interference with learning. Water is provided free of charge to every local member.

The $500,000 project was made possible through funding from the Water and Development Alliance (WADA), an initiative of the Millennium Water Alliance whose members include Coca-Cola and USAID, and a host of local funding and implementing partners.

WADA, a joint initiative between USAID and Coca-Cola, has initiated 32 projects in 22 countries worldwide to protect and improve the sustainability of watersheds; increase access to water supply and sanitation services for the world's poor; and enhance productive uses of water. The alliance is a positive example of how public-private partnerships can give localized support to those with the greatest needs for water and sanitation services, ensuring that water resources are managed to serve future generations.

About The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation's Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN)
The Replenish Africa Initiative, or RAIN, is the signature community initiative of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation. Backed by a six-year, $30 million dollar commitment by The Coca-Cola Company, in partnership with other donors, RAIN's goal is to provide over 2 million people in Africa with access to drinking water by 2015. For more information on RAIN and The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, visit http://www.tccaf.org/.