The Coca-Cola Foundation’s Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN) has continued to positively impact communities across Kenya through its water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects.
For close to a decade now, various RAIN projects have been implemented to directly benefit more than 600,000 people in Kenya with access to clean and reliable water supply. This is through establishment of sustainable water management systems and hygiene and sanitation projects.
More than 200,000 people in Kaptagat informal settlement in Kangemi, Nairobi, are part of the communities that have benefitted from the provision of water and sanitation support. For a long time, the community members, especially young children, faced various health challenges due to lack of a proper sewerage system in the area.
Through a public-private partnership, RAIN has continuously worked with the Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) and the County Government of Nairobi to construct a sewer system in Kaptagat.
Speaking on the initiative’s projects, Francis Ndung’u, Chairman of the Kaptagat Kangemi Resident Association said, “We have been having the problem of sewer line in this area. We are grateful to The Coca-Cola Foundation and WSUP for giving us a sewer line that is flowing and doesn’t clog. This is a lifeline for the people of this community.”
In Pangani Ward, Kitui village, a community of more than 250,000 people faced persistent water shortages and incessant wrangles between them and NCWSC due to illegal water connections. RAIN, through WSUP and NCWSC setup water provision centers utilizing the prepaid dispensers token technology to manage the supply to the community. This has also resolved the constant conflict between the NCWSC and the community.
Additionally, RAIN has contributed to helping countries across the continent achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal on clean water and sanitation (SDG 6) since 2009.
Over the course of the past decade, the program has also enabled the economic empowerment of people by creating opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and skills generation. The initiative has also helped to protect critical watersheds, supported several African utilities in coping with the growing water demand in cities, and delivered essential hygiene items and PPE to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.