This undated file photo provided by the Korea International Cooperation Agency shows the organization’s tap water project in Kenya. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The residents of impoverished regions in Kenya, facing water shortages due to prolonged droughts, will receive drinking water through South Korea’s official development assistance (ODA) project.
The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), South Korea’s overseas aid agency, said it held a ceremony on Wednesday (local time) to mark the completion and transfer of a drinking water and sanitation improvement project at a water supply facility in Lodwar, Turkana County, Kenya.
KOICA allocated a total of US$5.5 million for this project, launched in 2019 in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The two organizations established 76 water supply facilities (wells) and 10 sand dams using underground water in the central Turkana region.
This project paved the way to supply clean water to about 148,000 residents in the region.
Particularly, by connecting the wells to 14 public health centers, 19 elementary schools, and two middle schools through water pipes, the project made it possible to supply water to approximately 7,000 children.
As students who used to spend about six hours a day fetching water from the river returned to school, the number of students at the school increased from 97 in 2017 to 394 in 2020.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
