Gilgil - East Rift Valley

There were two types of project we were involved in around the Gilgil area of the East Rift Valley.

The first was the introduction of eco-sanitation toilets and rain water harvesting systems in local schools. We used schools because they are very much the focal point of a community and an excellent way of introducing such things to the local people. In some cases we also helped to rebuild the schools. The aim was to show the way these systems can be used and encourage community eco-san toilets and larger rain water harvesting tanks.

The second project was an agricultural, housing and open reservoir 'farm'. Although there are farming advisors in Kenya, most of them stay in Nairobi and expect farmers to go and visit them. This leads to the ludicrous situation where local growers continually grow maize when they only have one successful crop out of five. When you ask them why they keep growing it, they answer they don't know what else to grow. Using the expertise of a local environmentalist, we built examples of houses that can be built by anyone, using local materials, and withstand the most fierce rains.

We also created a small open reservoir that trickles water down the hill and waters the crops in a responsible and appropriate manner, and to grow crops and trees that will show local farmers and growers that there are sensible alternatives that will provide both personal and cash crops.