P.O. Box 172-40500 Nyamira

Mobile: + 254 727 465 875
Email:blessedgen.nyamira@gmail.com
WATER PROJECT

Table of Contents
Blessed Generation Water Project 1
1.0 Introduction; Proposed Borehole and solar powered pump 2
2.0 Background information 2
3.0 Statement problem 2
4.0 Target beneficiaries 3
5.0 Local Participation 3
6.0 Leadership and management 3
7.0 Project Sustainability 3
8.0 Project procedure 4
8.1 Pre-drilling 4
8.2 Drilling 4
8.4 Pumps 4
8.5 Tanks 5
8.6 Fitting the pump 5
8.7 Solar panels and controller. 5
8.9 Usage 5
9.0 Budget Breakdown 5
10.0 Need 6









1.0 Introduction; Proposed Borehole and solar powered pump
One of our biggest projects at the children’s Home and school has been the drilling and construction of a bore-hole to supply the children’s home, school and community with clean and safe water. This is pegged on the fact that the nearest accessible clean water point is kilometres away and that the orphanage, school and community members travel every day to collect water, sometimes with no result.
2.0 Background information
The Blessed Generation orphanage was founded in 1984. The Californian preacher Dick West went to Kenya to engage into development aid. Soon he took responsibility over seven orphans whose mother had not survived the birth of her eighth child. The orphanage’s first centre is situated in Ruiru, about 30 km outside of Nairobi
After opening of a second Blessed Generation orphanage in 2004 in Malindi, in 2008 a third orphanage was opened in Nyamira (situated in the west of Kenya) for the victims of the riots caused by the disputed presidential elections at the beginning of 2008. The children grow up and are educated in a traditional Kenyan way. Kenyan “mamas” help to educate the children.
Important issues are that they learn how to work together, become more independent and go to school. In Kenya education is the key to life, to the future and to getting a job. To provide a good education the orphanages are having their own nursery and primary schools in their compound.
The older children are attending a secondary school/college outside of the children’s centres. After school education they go on job training so that afterwards they can find a job in order to live on their own and be independent. In this way these children help to build up Kenya.
3.0 Statement problem
Proposed Blessed Generation Children’s Home water project would be located in Nyamaiya Location within Nyamaiya division, Nyamira south sub county, West Mugirango constituency in Nyamira County.
The Blessed Generation Children’s Home is majorly donor funded and the community members are mostly peasant farmers, livestock keepers. They meet a lot of challenges with their animals during the dry spells as they walk approximately 7km (4.3 miles) with their livestock in search of water. They grow mostly food crops to sustain their families -- maize, sorghum, and beans. The average daily wage for each family in this village is about 1 US dollars.
The area is far from any river (reliable water source). It is dry most of the time and therefore the orphanage and the community has difficulties in accessing safe quality and reliable water supply. The greatest challenge now available is accessing reliable and safe water supply for the orphanage and the immediate community. This means that even if they get good education, shelter and quality health care, the members of the community are still vulnerable to water born diseases infections.
Attempts have been made to dig shallow water wells but have not been successful and with rains also becoming unreliable, it means even roof catchment may not be sustained and there is therefore need for a long lasting reliable source of safe water supply, which the orphanage and the community can sustain effectively.
4.0 Target beneficiaries
The target amount of water is of about 3000-4000 litres per hour. Borehole water supply remains the most reliable water supply for this orphanage and the community especially when it is mainly electricity pumped. On completion of the Borehole, we expect about 36,000 people (both Blessed Generation orphanage and the community) to benefit from clean, safe water supply, and more so when it would be extended with underground pipes (should funds be available).
5.0 Local Participation
The people of the Village are willing to offer the necessary support to make the project successful. They will also be responsible for the proper functioning and maintenance of the equipment. The project is going to be under ownership of the members of Blessed Generation project which is a combination of Blessed Generation Orphanage and community members. The land on which the borehole will be drilled belongs to Blessed Generation Children’s Home.
6.0 Leadership and management
There will be leadership guidance given by Blessed Generation Orphanage who will form the Blessed Generation Water Project Committee. The water committee will be instrumental in organizing the members of the village towards bearing full responsibility of the project.
7.0 Project Sustainability
Project sustainability is very optimistic and assured since the project idea originally came from the local people through a participatory approach to the project identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Moreover, the project will be sustainable since the community possesses a sense of ownership for the project through financial and material contributions. The families will give small monthly contributions toward the maintenance and repair of the pump. New knowledge and skills on operation and maintenance of the pump will be provided by the experts from water and borehole drilling company, to the local community in order to sustain the water pumps after the project completion.  The water committee will be charged with the responsibility of managing and maintaining the bore hole through the collection of a monthly fee from each household as a maintenance fee.
For sustainability and meeting regular electricity bills, it is expected that drawing of water would charged at Kshs.2.00 per 20 litres container. A management committee would also be formed to oversee its management.
Thus, when the entire Village is vested in the project, everyone will directly derive benefits from the project, and all will thrive due to healthy, clean, water.  At this moment we are in contact with a possible donor (Safaricom Foundation) for this project.
8.0 Project procedure
8.1 Pre-drilling
There is little point drilling a bore-hole if there is no water underground, so it is usual to start the process with a geological survey and vertical electrical sounding. The VES sounding attempts to map the availability of water by taking resistivity measurements using probes at a set distance apart.
In our case, we shall locate 2 places with good water. Both had a water layer about 120-150m below ground level. Before commencing drilling, a bore-hole needs a drilling permit and an environmental NEMA report
8.2 Drilling
A drilling rig is required for the drilling. As the drill progresses into the ground, extra drill rods are added until eventually the drill reaches the required depth; 160m (500′) in our case. We shall employ a geologist to supervise the drilling process; Once drilled, the bore-hole must be lined with steel casing to stop the bore-hole collapsing and to screen out the large sand particles from entering the pump.
The only solution was to drill a second (straighter) bore-hole. This helps to keep the sand away from the pump and filters the water. During drilling, the water layers tend to get blocked by clay and other debris from the drilling. For maximum water yield, the bore-hole must be developed. High pressure water and air will be forced down the bore-hole to open up the pores. After development the bore-hole is given a 24hr test pump to pump out dirty water and to check what yield the bore-hole can supply. In our case, the bore-hole is expected to be able to supply 3000 - 4000L / hour. Finally, samples are taken for bacteria and chemical analysis.
8.4 Pumps
There are 3 types of pumps used in Kenya, mains powered, solar powered and wind powered. The cost of solar has decreased over the years so the main choices now are solar verses grid electricity.  To run throughout on green technology Blessed Generation water project should use solar. The higher initial cost will be offset long term by the lower running costs. Sunlight in Kenya is very reliable and very predictable. Countries on the equator are not short of sunlight!
The committee is proposing Lorentz pumping system and simulations suggested that with 1.4KW of solar panels, we would achieve about 8000L/day. Experts recommend that to improve the efficiency of the system, we designed it so that it can point South for April – September and North for October – March. This simple change may produce an additional 500L/day for almost no extra cost.
8.5 Tanks
Solar only produces water when it is sunny or bright. To match supply to demand, it is usual to add water tanks. In our case, we intend to add 2 tanks, both 5000L each. The top tank is used to gravity feed water to the orphanage and the bottom tank supplies water to the community taps. If both tanks are empty, it will take about 1 day of sunlight to fill them.
8.6 Fitting the pump
The pump must be connected to a long pipe and the wires, pump and pipe dropped down the bore-hole.
8.7 Solar panels and controller
A frame will be constructed to support the panels. We shall use 8 X 140W panels, so about 1.44KWp. The frame could be pointed North or South as mentioned above. The controller converts the DC from the panels to low voltage 3 phase AC for the pump motor. Finally, a float switch in the upper tank turns off the pump once the tanks are full.. On a cloudless day, it is projected to produce 12,000L..
8.9 Usage
We expect the community to take about 4000L/day during the dry season, and for the orphanage to consume about 2000L – 4000L/ day. Normally, January, February, June/ July is the challenging month when the dry but cloudy days which limits the pumping to around 6000 – 7000L per day, but the dry days will create a high demand for water.





9.0 Budget Breakdown
BILL OF QUANTITIIES (BUDGET) FOR BLESSED GENERATION BOREHOLE ( 120 METERS DEEP) WATER PROJECT
 ELECTRICITY PUMPING EXCHANGE RATE; Eur.1=Kshs.115