WATER
..."Clean water: A fundamental human right."
We work with communities to advocate for sustainable policies and practices that promote access to clean, safe and sufficient water for domestic and agricultural use. We capacity build communities to form Water Resource Users Associations (WRUA) that are vehicles for water conservation and climate change adaption and mitigation.
..."Water conservation: Every drop makes a difference."
Article 43 of the Constitution states that every person has a right to clean and safe water in adequate quantities.
Research done by water organizations in Kenya shows that 37 percent of Kenyans rely on unimproved water sources, for example, ponds, shallow wells, and rivers whereas 70 percent of Kenyans use unimproved sanitation solutions. Research shows that;
· 17.3 million lack access to safe water.
· 32.7 million lack access to improved sanitation.
· 59% of the total population lives on less than US$3.10 per day.
This shows that the availability, quality, and accessibility of water in Kenya is still wanting. Most of these challenges are evident in the rural areas and the urban slums. Only 9 out of 55 public water service providers in Kenya provide continuous water supply, leaving people to find their ways of searching for appropriate solutions to these basic needs. The poor, mainly women and girls, spend a significant amount of time traveling some distance to collect water.
As a member of the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA), we have been working with Water Resource Users Associations (WRUA) at the grassroots in capacity building. We also connect WRUAs to policy change agencies as well as actors in appropriate water-related technologies ( such as Sanitation systems, Verifiltration Technology for Wastewater Purification, etc).
Growth Partner Africa is committed to ensuring that water rights guaranteed in the Constitution are realized by the marginalized in Kenya.
Democratization of water justice
Goal 6 of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Access to water is a human right which was approved in resolutions by the UN General Assembly and UN Human Rights Council in 2010. Ensuring that access to water and sanitation is provided for all is a question of democratic politics.
We are committed to ensuring that Goal 6 is fully achieved in our communities by ensuring access to safe water and sanitation infrastructure, and more importantly to those who cannot afford to pay the full cost of these services.
Most policy decisions about water and sanitation services in Kenya have always been implemented without public participation. Water politics and management are rarely transparent to citizens and lack accountability. We help ensure that the laws and policies that are passed are presented to the communities at the grassroots to seek their views and hence ensure public participation.
