Water Project: Mombassa, Kenya
One of our stories follows the life of Pastor Gladnes Wakesho Mwasi. Situated in an outlying western community of Mombasa City, her community of 6,000 people have no easy access to clean water. For more than a decade, she’s suffered alongside her people as they struggle daily to find water sources. It has become Pastor Gladnes’ life work to drill a well in her community, providing immediate access to clean, disease-free water from the purest source available.
However, the unique water politics in Kenya have made her mission a challenge. Privatization of water has cast in a negative light, as investors have previously been proven to charge excess prices for water. The government is bankrupt, unable to provide their support. To combat concerns over price-gouging, Pastor Gladnes has made her plan clear: orphans, widows, and the elderly will never pay for water. All others will pay half of the market price, just enough to provide for maintenance and security of the well.
The sea creek which the community has been using for decades
Children drawing water to take home from a nearby creek
Pastor Gladnes seeks to end the suffering in her community and allow children to thrive. 80% of her community has been afflicted with waterborne diseases, killing many and leaving children orphaned and dying. In her own words, “the success of this project will fulfill my dream to serve humanity, which is God’s desire for us all.”
The leading cause of death for children under the age of five is infections from waterborne diseases. At any time approximately three quarters of the population suffer from diseases contracted by consuming contaminated water.
There is more to her story, let’s let her tell it: My name is Gladnes Wakesho Mwasi. True, Ed White is my brother from my American mother. I shared my community’s decade suffering for luck of fresh water with him since 2017. My community is situated in the west remote part of Mombasa City. The area covers approximately 6,000 of population.
My proposed project is to drill a water borehole that is able to benefit 6,000 people which include both elderly, young, poor and middle class. My plan also aims to give free water to the orphans, widows and elderly. l will offer others half the normal price which will be of great benefit. This will enable us to service the borehole and to pay the security and water supplier. Due to lack of clean water 80 percent of my community suffer illnesses that are directly from waterborne diseased pathogens.
Our goal is to raise $15,000 for Gladnes’ project for clean, potable water to help her community.