Partnering to Save Lives using Lifewater’s Community Health
through Hygiene Program in Kenya
By Janet Proby, Programs Director and Hygiene Program Coordinator

The success of Lifewater’s training programs depends on the quality of our partners and their ability to adapt Lifewater’s programs to their communities. A glimpse into the daily lives of one of our Kenya partners, GWAKO Ministries, reveals their excellence in implementing the Community Health through Hygiene training they have received from Lifewater.

GWAKO’s motto, “Christians help rural women help themselves” is at the core of the organization’s success. With Lifewater’s help, GWAKO has focused on training local school teachers and members of women’s self-help groups. This has proven to be a fruitful strategy.

Two Lifewater-trained nurses, Elizabeth Ochieng and Mrs. Olima, head up GWAKO’s hygiene program in the Kisumu region. I was privileged to meet them this past January when they hosted a Lifewater hygiene training team of which I was a member.

I have vivid memories of my time with Elizabeth and Mrs. Olima. I remember traveling with them in the back of a pick-up truck to see the impact of their hygiene trainings in several schools and individual homes. Bouncing along, they excitedly shared about their work in a total of forty-one different schools and surrounding communities.

Our visits to the schools and communities were right in line with Elizabeth and Mrs. Olima’s work, as follow-up is an important part of the GWAKO hygiene training program. Their follow-up visits provide the 100-plus promoters they have trained with encouragement and additional training.

Along the way, everyone in the truck could be heard singing, “I Will Never Cease to Praise My Lord” and other praise songs. Mrs. Olima encouraged everyone to lead a song. Prayer and praise is an important component in all of GWAKO’s work.

Earlier that morning, Elizabeth had already worked her regular job at an X-ray lab before meeting up with us. She routinely works from 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. when not attending to her GWAKO responsibilities. A widow raising a teenage son and two of her deceased sister’s children, she has even managed to get certified in counseling and take a course in information technology.

Mrs. Olima is also a remarkable person. Her husband is a retired school teacher with very little compensation. A mother of eight children ranging from ten to thirty-three, she still manages to dedicate quality time to her work with GWAKO.

As we bounced along, I marveled at Elizabeth and Mrs. Olima’s dedication and commitment to their hygiene work. They had just spent three weeks co-hosting trainings with our Lifewater team.

Students excitedly greeted us when we arrived at one of the ten schools where the GWAKO drill crew, who was also trained by Lifewater, has installed wells. I was glad to see a “tippy tap”—a watersaving device that allows students to wash their hands after using the latrine and before eating—hanging on a nearby tree. One of the GWAKO-trained hygiene teachers explained that they are teaching the children about washing hands, washing food, and good nutrition. She said that the children then take the information to their parents and grandparents so it can be put into practice in the home.

At another school, the students entertained us with singing and dancing. I watched as Elizabeth and Mrs. Olima jumped up and joined the students, much to the delight of the assembled children. I could sense Elizabeth and Mrs. Olima’s love for the people surrounding them, and I knew what these two women already knew: they were making a difference in the lives of many people, and that was all the reward they needed!

GWAKO Ministries is Lifewater International’s partner in Kisumu, Kenya, under the direction of director Benjamin Ooyo. GWAKO has been a Lifewater partner since 1999 and has Lifewater-trained well drilling, hygiene, and sanitation teams. The collaboration between Lifewater and GWAKO in 2005–2006 is being funded in part by the US Agency of International Development (USAID).

Preventing Preventable Disease
If good hygiene makes such a difference in people’s health, why are these practices not more widespread? Lifewater has learned that training people in simple ways to prevent disease is not as simple as it may seem:

To prevent disease, people need to know their worth. In many cultures, the weaker members of the population—especially girls and women and those who are handicapped—are not considered valuable. Because resources are so scarce, little is expended to educate them, keep them healthy, or make them well when they become ill. The first step to community health is instilling in people the incredible value God has placed on all human life.

To prevent disease, people must understand disease transmission.
If people are not convinced that feces and mosquitoes can cause disease, there is no value in introducing hand washing, latrines, or mosquito nets. Before learning lifesaving hygienic practices, people must be convinced of the value of these practices.

To prevent disease, people must be empowered. Many people around the world believe that they have no control over their health. In addition to knowing what causes disease, they need to learn that simple lifestyle changes can prevent it.

To prevent disease, people need the necessary skills and tools.
Once people know the importance of hygienic practices, they need the skills and tools necessary to practice them. Safe water is essential. Equally important are hygiene and sanitation skills such as hand washing, safe food preparation, and latrine construction and maintenance.