WASH and Grow!

WASH and Grow!

About

WASH and Grow! project improves sanitation and hygiene conditions and promotes sustainable agriculture in Kenya. The project is working on both WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) and regenerative agriculture simultaneously. These areas are often interconnected, and addressing them together is likely to have a greater impact than addressing them separately. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland and private donors. Beneficiaries also contribute to the costs through work and money.

Our goal is to improve the well-being and livelihoods of 1,300 women who are members of 40 self-help groups in 60 remote rural villages. These women face significant challenges in accessing basic necessities such as clean water, adequate sanitation facilities, and fertile land for farming. By addressing these challenges, we hope to empower these women to build a more sustainable future for themselves and their families. In addition to the primary beneficiaries, the project benefits the local communities by generating valuable knowledge and expertise in sustainable development practices.

Mifuko Trust implements WASH and Grow! together with Mifuko Women Development CBO, a community-based organization founded by women's groups. The work is supported by a Fair Trade design company Mifuko Ltd. The project involves NGOs and companies from both Kenya and Finland, which brings different perspectives and experiences to the table. Through collaborations with experts, we aim to implement innovative solutions that can be scaled up to improve the livelihoods of the entire region. Read more about our partners and private-sector supporters!

Improving Sanitation: Our Sustainable Approach

Access to clean water and proper sanitation is a fundamental human right and one of the UN's sustainable development goals. In many regions of Africa, however, sanitation remains a challenge, with pit latrines being a primary cause of diarrhea and other hygiene-related illnesses. For instance, in Makueni and rural Kenya, over 90% of households use pit latrines.

Our ecological sanitation approach offers a sustainable solution to these challenges. We promote proper disposal of human waste and recycling of human excreta to produce composted fertilizer for small-scale farming. Dry toilets located near households, which do not require fresh water, are ideal for the arid regions of Kenya.

By embracing ecological sanitation, we tackle the root causes of poverty in these regions by:

Preventing hygiene-related illnesses that can be detrimental to individuals' health and the local economy
Producing cheap, ecological fertilizer to enhance crop yield and support local food security
Creating business opportunities for the local community and driving economic growth.

Handbook on ECOLOGICAL DRY TOILET CONSTRUCTION

CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS FOR ECOLOGICAL DRY TOILETS

Mwongozo wa KUJENGA CHOO KIKAVU CHA KIIKOLOJIA

RAMANI ZA VYOO VIKAVU VYA KIIKOLOJIA

Agroforestry and regenerative farming

Unfortunately, extreme hunger and malnutrition remain a huge barrier to development in many countries. There are 821 million people estimated to be chronically undernourished as of 2017, often as a direct consequence of environmental degradation, drought, and biodiversity loss. Over 90 million children under five years old are dangerously underweight. Undernourishment and severe food insecurity appear to be increasing in almost all regions of Africa.

To combat this challenge the project trains 40 agroforestry ambassadors who serve as exemplars of sustainable farming practices to support climate resilience efforts. These ambassadors participate in yearly study visits to existing agroforestry and regenerative farming projects in Makueni county. They commit to coaching their community members on agroforestry techniques and monitoring their progress.

As part of the project, all 1300 women grow and care for 5-15 trees or plants in their plots. This initiative intends to improve food crop production, and soil fertility, and provide shade. The agroforestry ambassadors support the activity with their coaching efforts.

Final Evaluation Report: Ecological Sanitation in Kenya 2021-2023