Dear sir, 

I write on behalf of old Ma Beatrice.  She can't write except her name, but she wanted to thank us for caring for her.  She is very old having lived 79 years.  It is not easy for her to get around now and to fetch water, something she did every day, twice a day in the past but it has become too hard for her.  Now with the COVID pandemic she is even frightened to go outside of the safety of her room. 

The new water tank that is in her community has made it much easier for her grand daughter, Charity to bring her water daily, and Beatrice wanted to me to extend her gratitude to you for helping her be able to wash her hands and stay inside where she is safer.

And when she has to go out, the mask helps keep her safe and she knows to stay 2 meters away from everyone except Charity who is her designated helper.

On behalf of Old ma Beatrice, I thank you so much!

Rev David Maina

Executive Director

The Lifewater Kenya

The COVID pandemic has shown that neighbours are not just those living beside us. We cannot disconnect ourselves from the plight of women and girls who can't socially distance as they draw water from crowded pumps; and we cannot ignore children who can’t frequently wash their hands because water takes so much time to fetch.

The first case of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa was reported in Nigeria at the end of February. COVID reached Kenya two weeks later. Most of the identified imported cases have arrived from Europe and the United States rather than from China. Kenya responded swiftly by cancelling Visa's and only allowing citizens and residents into the country. But COVID was already in and it slowly spread.

As of mid-May, the number of reported cases in Kenya had reached 1,000. However, it is believed that there is widespread under-reporting. There is growing concern about COVID-19 spreading to Kenya, because the healthcare system lacks capacity, having problems such as lack of equipment, lack of funding, insufficient training of healthcare workers, and inefficient data transmission. It is feared that the pandemic could be difficult to keep under control and could cause huge economic problems.

The Lifewater Kenya Ltd. response to the COVID-19 outbreak began in February before COVID reached Kenya. Work includes distributing masks, sharing hygiene information, providing disinfectant solution, and building hand washing stations at African orphanages, clinics, and schools. Work carries on to repair broken pumps and build new drinking water sources to reduce crowding at existing water points.