Salesians building 2 new wells in drought-ridden community

(MissionNewswire) Salesians in Korr, a city in the Chalbi desert in Kenya, are building two wells thanks to donor funding from the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy. The project involves the installation of solar pumps, pipes and a 20,000-liter tank. The water wells will improve the quality of life and health of over 800 families. One of the wells has been completed.

A Salesian said, “Imagine a girl who can finally attend school regularly because she no longer has to spend hours looking for water. Together we can make a difference, transforming their daily struggle for water into a story of change and hope. Let’s build together a future in which water access is no longer a privilege, but a right guaranteed for everyone.”

The ongoing drought and poverty, along with and the lack of running water, makes life difficult for the Samburu and Rendille tribes who live in this region. Every day is a quest to find water. People travel up to 15 km to reach the nearest water point, which takes time away from education, work and family life. Women and children bear the greatest burden of this effort. The surface and underground wells, often distant and not always safe, are also used for subsistence farming activities.

Salesians have always been committed to fighting the drought. In 2018, a well was dug in one of the villages, but the water over time proved too saline to be used. Now two new wells will bring better quality water.

The mission in Korr was started in 1972 by Father Redento Tignonsini, who realized digging wells was essential for survival. He built a dispensary to treat the people who were sick and a shop to sell essential products for the population. In 1981, Salesians took over, transforming the area into a beacon of hope for the local community. The Salesian mission provides education, health care and food support to communities in one of Kenya’s most isolated and needy regions.

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Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS) 

ANS – Kenya – A well in the desert, where the earth is burned by the sun and drought is constant

Salesian Missions – Kenya

World Bank – Kenya