June 2019, in the midst of a prolonged dry season in Kenya, I took a walk down a bumpy road headed to work. A few Kilometers from my home, I encountered a group of women together with their children, each carrying 20-liter jericans of water. Their feet are gnarled and knotted, a result of thousands of miles walked barefoot over dry ground and mud. With babies strapped to their chest and water on their backs, their brightly colored skirts sway as they trudge on in their quest for water. Some carried water pots on their head, placed on top of ‘tebengwet’ leaves (Veronia auriculifera) well tied up into ng’atiet -a ring to give balance on the head.
As I moved closer by, they greeted me in Kalenjin and I responded cheerfully. Curiously, I asked them how long it took to fetch water. Without hesitating, they all responded “We have stayed there since morning’. It was 25 minutes past 1 pm. They further narrated how they had to go early in order to get clean water, in this case, clarity is determinant.
Miriam, who was accompanied with her 7-year-old daughter said “..we cannot even do our businesses since we have to keep going to the spring back and forth’.When water is enough for household use, cattle, washing clothes and dishes, women are spared of time to do income generating activities to sustain their families.
Majority of them are tea pickers in a nearby large tea farm. Some had lost their jobs because it was impossible to go to work and fetch water in a single day. Most would opt to sleep on an empty stomach than lack water for drinking and domestic use. My heart melted, particularly for Miriam as she was also a widow which made her the sole breadwinner for her family.
Women bear the greatest brunt of water challenges particularly in sub Saharan countries. As of 2000 it was estimated that one-sixth of humanity (1.1 billion people) lacked access to any form of improved water supply within 1 kilometre of their home (WHO and UNICEF, 2000). Inadequate water also means other basic needs are ignored. Hygiene practices for example becomes a less important thing when water is inadequate hence risks of diarrheal disease due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene (WHO,2002). Children particularly girls often miss school to accompany their mothers to go fetch water, this contributes to school drop outs, early marriages and eventually teenage pregnancies.
As I pen down this story, my heart is heavy not just because of these women but because our actions have polluted the same springs that these women used to depend on. Deforestation, waste discharge and dumping in rivers, agro-chemicals from unplanned agricultural practices near springs and rivers, introduction of non-native species among others, all have contributed to unhealthy or depletion of such ecosystems. How then can we solve this? It is simple, by restoring the natural and healthy state of a river; replanting and nurturing indigenous tree species while placing local people at the forefront of any restoration project. According to UN-Environment, well-protected and healthy ecosystems capture water during intense rainfall and store it for times of drought. Similarly, healthy forests recharge groundwater supplies by absorbing water through their roots, and in doing so, filter drinking water for millions of people worldwide. .
Joan T.
Great