Sabore's Well

Sabore’s Well was founded in January 2010 by Sabore Ole Oyie and Thérèse Hjelm to bring a fresh clean water source to the Maasai community in Narok County South District, Kenya. The purpose of this project was to bring water access to the villages to allow the women to work on their trades or take care of their families rather than walking 10 to 12 kilometers each way daily to fetch water from a contaminated river. Having clean water helps prevent ingesting water-borne diseases (which are a major contributing factor in early childhood deaths), gives young girls the opportunity to attend school, reduces poverty in the region, and improves environmental conditions. At the beginning of Sabore’s Well creation, we had the distinct advantage and privilege of partnering with Blue Planet Network to capitalize on their platform and propel this endeavor. After four years of fundraising through various functions including visiting schools, home parties, corporate meetings, and articles in local papers, Sabore’s Well raised enough money to install the first two wells.

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SUPETAI PROJECT

The Supetai Project is a transdisciplinary project for Sabore's Well by student teams from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (BE) & Santa Clara University (USA). Their goal? Creating a water filtration system to purify the Supetai well of fluoride and make the water consumable for the community. As fluoride causes pitting of the teeth and brittle bones in children and elderly.  Even more, elevated fluoride intake during early development can affect children's neurological development.

 Being able to bring a clean fresh water source to the community will be life-changing. The impact will be felt mostly by the women who do the back-breaking work of carrying the water in jerrycans of up to 20L (20kg/44lbs). The well is located closer to the homes (bomas) and the concept of Sabore's Well is when mothers bring their children to school they can collect water in the morning, and again if necessary when they retrieve their kids in the afternoon. Eliminating the need to make a separate trip to the river. This freshwater source will also allow young girls the opportunity to attend school. Currently, the girls are left at home to do the chores their mother can't do because of the time spent collecting water from the river. Collecting firewood, taking care of their younger siblings, cooking for the family, or even helping their mother collecting water from the river for instance. These girls and boys need to have a chance to receive an education and have the potential for a better future.

We laid the foundation for the holding room & filtration system, but there is still a lot of work to do. Once the system is up and running, it will allow people to collect 1000 liters of water per family per month, for the price of 1000 Kenyan Shillings. This is a price we set together with the local community. Through this business model, we provide a cyclical model of financial sustainability: the people pay for the water, their payment contributes to the costs of the well-maintenance, and the profit is then recycled back into the community. Allowing them to take full ownership of the well. 

But, as with everything, that requires time, and money. Our Supetai project needs a remaining 35,000 USD to become a reality. Having calculated a 45% profit margin in the current business model, your one-time donation could make a lasting impact. This project is, however, just one element of a growing ecosystem to strengthen the community, supporting the marriage between maintaining the beautiful parts of Maasai tradition while jumping into a better future for all. 

Asante sana!