By Gad Maiga
Oct. 14, 2021 | MOHETO, Kenya (UM News)
A borehole project in rural Kenya is transforming lives, and United Methodists are playing a significant role.
For years, residents in Migori County were forced to gather contaminated water from a dying stream littered with paper, plastic and heaps of garbage. Spending up to one-third of their day collecting water in the scorching heat, women and children were vulnerable to water-borne illnesses and predator attack.
In December 2019, the 280-member First United Methodist Church in Moheto, Kenya, devised a plan to provide safe, clean water for the community.
The Moheto congregation established a borehole project in Migori County with funding help from the Rev. Grace Imathiu, senior pastor of First United Methodist Church of Evanston, Illinois, and church members Drs. Christine and Mike McGuire. Today, some 2,000 community members — including 500 pupils at Moheto Primary School — benefit.
Water is pumped by a generator from a borehole that is 230 meters deep. A water-collection point with a 2,642-gallon (10,000-liter) tank was installed at the church compound. The tank is mounted on a raised stand to increase the rate at which piped water flows to homes in the community. Water sourced from the borehole is used for domestic, irrigation and livestock purposes.
