Balio Pre-School

Balio Pre-School in Mwingi, in Kenya’s Kitui County, was started to prepare young ones for primary school education. It has 20 students and also houses a Sunday school. Parents have always been expected to bring water to the school to meet the students’ needs. There were no other options. Teacher Grace Mulungi says she was overjoyed to receive a rainwater catchment system, including a 10,000-litre storage tank and handwashing station, from Lifewater Canada donors recently. “I will take care of it,” Grace promised. “I take care of precious things that serve me well.” Grace says since the storage system was installed, no parent has need to transport water to the school. “I am happy because my students are happy. This tank has changed our lives. We are thankful for the handwashing station too.”

The locals here get water from the rivers. All of the rivers nearby have since dried up. So they have to look for the rivers that still have water where when they constantly scoop the sand from a point within the river, they get to a water level. The rivers with these kind of water points, what the locals call wells, are quite far away. Balio pre- primary school is a feeder school where students go to be prepared to start studies in earnest. The children are very small.It also serves as a Sunday school on Sundays. There are presently 20 students enrolled in this class The 10,000 Litre rain water catchment system is a big help to them and is mounted on a solid cement base, attached to the school roof for rain catchment and has a handwashing station as well. The commnity has nearly 2500 people in it.