Dig Deep: Clean water, safe sanitation, and hygiene for families in rural Kenya

The objective

To reach 27,000 people in Bomet County with clean water, safe toilets, and hygiene education improving school nutrition, reducing disease, and strengthening sustainable WASH systems.

The issue

Bomet County, Kenya – home to 1 million people – has the third lowest access to clean water in the country. Two out of three people lack safe drinking water, and over half live without safe toilets. For many, daily life revolves around collecting contaminated water and living with the health consequences. Children miss school, women lose time and income, and diseases linked to poor sanitation overwhelm already stretched health systems.
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Dig Deep (Africa) has worked in Bomet for over a decade, collaborating with government, schools, and communities to deliver low-cost, high-impact WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) services. Their work is rooted in local partnerships and driven by the belief that everyone has a right to clean water, safe toilets, and good hygiene.

This second grant from the Croda Foundation builds on measurable success from 2024 and supports a two-year scale-up across 60 villages.

The partner: Dig Deep
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Dig Deep is a UK registered charity transforming access to clean water and sanitation for rural communities in Kenya. Their locally-led model integrates health, education, agriculture and sustainability – delivering smart infrastructure alongside community training and government alignment.

Find out more at digdeep.org.uk

Find out more at kadinisi.org

The project

With a grant of £99,758 over two years, the Foundation is supporting Dig Deep to:

• Install rooftop rainwater harvesting systems and kitchen gardens at four schools, giving 1,000 children clean drinking water and improved nutrition

• Protect four natural springs in rural communities, supplying clean water to 5,000 people

• Deliver hygiene and menstrual health education to 27,000 people across 60 villages, using a culturally adapted version of the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) model

• Achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) status for all 60 villages, verified and certified by Kenya’s national government

• Strengthen systems through partnerships with the Bomet County Government and Ministry of Agriculture
  

The education component trains families, teachers, artisans and local entrepreneurs in hygiene practices, toilet construction, water safety, menstrual health, and environmental protection – building a movement of change-makers who will carry the work forward.

Impact

• 1,000 children per year receive clean drinking water and better school meals
• 5,000 people gain access to safe, protected springs near their homes
• 27,000 people benefit from sanitation and hygiene education
• 60 villages achieve certified Open Defecation Free status
• 100% of participating schools integrate water, hygiene, and nutrition into the curriculum
• Long-term sustainability through partnerships with local government and training of community water committees
• Ripple effect: supporting Bomet’s WASH Masterplan and reaching up to 1 million residents through system-wide reform