Our most recent project benefits close to 600 people in the western region of Kenya. The solar-powered water pump just installed in Bochura Village enables the 150 households in and around Bochura to reliably draw water from the only borehole serving the village.  
 
Although Bochura is connected to the national electrical grid, the severe drought that’s been ravaging many parts of Africa is drying up rivers and causing frequent “brown outs” (where the national utility cuts off power to a particular region). In the case of Bochura, these brown outs, which would stop the previous electrical water pump from working, have been frequent and typically last more than 12 hours.
 
As seen with many of the communities EBL has supported in Zambia, the women and girls of Bochura had been spending several hours each day going to the river to collect water. However, the water in the river is often contaminated—particularly after rainstorms, and many people would contract and suffer from water-borne diseases. Along with saving community members from the time-consuming and arduous work of hauling water from the river, the new solar powered water system is expected to have multiple positive effects.