World Vision Kenya officially concluded its 15-year development programme in Mwatate Area Programme on Thursday, marking the end of one of the organization’s longest-running initiatives in the region and the beginning of full community ownership of development projects.
The Christian child-focused organization whose journey in Mwatate began on October 1, 2010, invested USD 6.57 million across integrated projects spanning water, sanitation, hygiene, education, health and child protection, directly impacting over 35,700 children and families across Mwatate, Chawia, and Bura wards.
The programme’s most transformative achievement lies in addressing the community’s severe water crisis. Before World Vision’s intervention, children were forced to walk long distances for water, often during early morning or late evening hours, exposing them to wildlife attacks from surrounding national parks and causing frequent school absenteeism.
According to Gershon Mwakazi, World Vision Kenya Director of Disaster Management, the plan targeted the vulnerable for protection.
“The water that we supply first is to target children who are vulnerable for protection because with water stress, children have been forced in the past to leave school sessions to go looking for water,” he said.
The organization drilled and equipped eight boreholes that now serve more than 20,000 beneficiaries, dramatically transforming daily life for families across the region.
“We have been able to drill, equip and also extend water in eight locations having drilled and equipped 8 boreholes. These water facilities are now reaching over 20,000 beneficiaries within the area program, and the water that we do is water for multi-purpose,” said Mwakazi, adding that these interventions have dramatically reduced water-borne diseases and ensured consistent school attendance while improving household hygiene practices.
Caroline Aketch, World Vision’s Cluster Manager for Kwale and Taita Taveta counties, highlighted the remarkable progress in reducing water collection burdens to the community.
“Today we can proudly say that through partnership, we have increased access of water in the community. Previously the community members were walking long distances in search for water but now we celebrate that we have reduced that distance and some of them are now working from 7 kilometres to maybe 2 kilometres,” she said.
The programme also installed VIP latrines in schools according to WHO standards and constructed over 30 cubic meter water tanks in more than 40 schools to ensure children have access to clean drinking water during school hours.
Education outcomes have seen remarkable transformation under the programme, building directly on the water infrastructure that enabled consistent school attendance.
Approximately 5,000 children received school fee support to access secondary education, with over 300 graduates proceeding to complete degrees at Kenyan universities.
“We celebrate children who have been able to transition from ECD centers, primary up to high school level. Today, we celebrate over 300 children who are registered in World Vision program who have already graduated in college,” noted Aketch, stating that many others continue pursuing tertiary studies, representing a generational shift in educational attainment within the community.
The economic transformation of Mwatate has been equally impressive, driven by improved water access and strategic partnerships. The Vision Fund, World Vision’s microfinance wing, provided community members with credit access to sustain existing projects and launch new initiatives.
“Vision Fund is a microfinance wing of World Vision and this microfinance is here to help communities continue accessing credit to be able to continue sustaining either the project which they have started or the new ones that will be able to come for in the future,” explained Mwakazi.
A standout innovation emerged through the WASH Business Centre, established in partnership with the Mururu community and Vision Fund through a Sh3 million investment. The centre trains local artisans to construct affordable latrines and manufacture hygiene products including liquid soap, creating household income streams while reinforcing water, sanitation and hygiene gains throughout the community.
Child protection initiatives focused heavily on training faith leaders as community champions. World Vision enrolled 150 religious leaders in theological training through SCOTS University, with 80 earning diplomas and 36 receiving certificates.
This trained cadre has become instrumental in promoting child welfare, preserving cultural values, and providing protective supervision within their communities.
“We have been partnering with the faith leaders in this organization in this area to equip them with knowledge and skills to be able to act as child protectors within the community,” noted Mwakazi.
To ensure programme sustainability, World Vision collaborated extensively with county and national governments to establish follow-up mechanisms for maintaining boreholes and infrastructure beyond the organization’s exit.
“We have been working closely with the county government and the national government to ensure that the project that we implement have a follow up. There is a follow up strategy to make sure that the boreholes that we have, have been equipped and the water that we have, have been supplied. The committee is there to follow up to ensure that these projects continue operating even after World Vision has phased out of this area,” said Mwakazi.
According to Aketch, the programme faced significant challenges during implementation. Several initially drilled boreholes yielded saline or chemically unsuitable water, causing delays in developing those sites.
“One of the biggest challenges that we had at the time we came, we drilled some water points, but we were not able to develop them because of the chemicals and the water was also saline,” explained Aketch.
World Vision also encountered community dependency issues, requiring sustained effort to motivate residents to shift from aid reliance toward identifying and utilizing locally available resources.
Aketch reflected on the transformation from early vulnerabilities including poor water and sanitation conditions, weak child protection systems, and erratic education access, noting that, “During the time that we came here, there were vulnerabilities that we identified. One of them was children at risk of abuse. We had high incidences of child abuse and we also had weak reporting systems and another challenge that was there at the beginning was inadequate safe water for domestic use.”
The County Government of Taita Taveta now faces the responsibility of sustaining existing infrastructure and expanding essential services. The success of Water User Committees, local educational institutions, and community-based organizations like Mururu provides a strong foundation for continued development.
Local authorities are encouraged to strengthen oversight, provide budgetary support, and integrate infrastructure maintenance into county development plans.
Mwakazi emphasized that while World Vision is exiting, the community must continue ensuring children receive support, resources are utilized effectively, and child protection remains a priority.
“As we leave, we plead that all the projects that we have implemented together with the government and the community that they shall be followed through to ensure that they continue serving the community for a long while. We are not saying that we are leaving because all the problems in Mwatate have been solved. No, we are leaving because we have done what we had committed to do and promised to do,” Mwakazi added.
National government agencies, particularly the Directorate of Children’s Services, have opportunities to institutionalize child protection frameworks and integrate vulnerable children into national social protection schemes. The momentum created by World Vision’s exit provides an ideal foundation for expanding programmes similar to inua jamii and schooling bursary initiatives successfully implemented elsewhere in Kenya.
//Ends//
