Creating climate resilience through sustainable solutions

When Saphia first started farming, he struggled to grow healthy crops because he lacked an adequate supply of water. Saphia lives in a region in Kenya where the adverse effects of climate change, like drought, impact the ability of farmers to sustain their crops and livestock. The water sources are regularly dry and their wells are often not dug deep enough into the earth to source water.

So, when the dry seasons came and increased in intensity, Saphia did not have enough water to grow enough crops for his family to eat and to sell to earn income. Considering his struggles, Saphia explained, “I decided to look for a way of getting some money to drill a well that would give me a water supply all the time—when it’s dry and when it’s wet.”

Saphia found the solution to his family’s water crisis after meeting with Family Bank, one of Water.org’s local partner banks in Kenya. Saphia received a loan for a safe water solution and with the funds, he was able to identify the local contractors he wanted to hire to drill a new, deeper well on his property.

“The reason why I wanted a loan for a borehole, is because we don’t get much rain here. It rains for about one to three months, and then we have a dry spell, meaning then we cannot grow the crops we need all the time,” he shared.

The contractor dug the well deep enough to yield what Saphia described as “plenty of water.” To ensure his well could operate despite the weather or season, he used some of the money from his loan to purchase and install a solar panel. The solar panel powers the well pump, which now pumps water into storage tanks that hold enough water supply for Saphia and his family to access year-round.

Now more prepared to face the effects of climate change, Saphia is thankful he has access to water on his property with which he can grow organic, healthy food and provide for his family.