The RKM Foundation’s mission is to facilitate water sustainability in Vihiga district, western Kenya, by supporting individuals, primary schools, and churches.
Vihiga is one of the poorest and most densely populated rural districts in Kenya. The area has insufficient social resources and perpetually suffers from a food deficit. Malnutrition continues to be a big issue. It also has high rates of HIV/AIDS infection that leaves many women widowed. The infections also result in many child-headed households without guardian support or a reliable source of income—an average income in Vihiga is about two dollars a day.
Other indicators of welfare in Vihiga district are similarly poor and underscore the urgency of addressing basic needs, particularly safe water. Although Vihiga district receives plenty of rainfall, people do not have facilities to harvest and store the water. Water accessibility remains a big challenge. Women and young girls are forced to fetch water from faraway streams and rivers. This water is often contaminated and causes diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A, polio, and typhoid.
Moreover, the large amounts of time spent hauling water prevents women from engaging in more beneficial economic activities—for example, schoolgirls lose valuable time in the classroom. Constant trips to the river to fetch water also results in many women suffering from back injuries. And yet, often, a simple water tank can solve the water problem. By providing a water tank to one of the target groups—a local school or church group, or a needy household—people’s lives can be transformed, and the community improved in immeasurable ways.
The solution is relatively simple. The RKM Foundation provides funding for the purchase of tanks. The water tank needs to be placed upon a strong platform, and so the Foundation requires that beneficiaries contribute the stand for the tank as well as the gutters that are used to collect water from the rooftops. This collaborative approach creates a sense of ownership and increases the chances of each project’s success. Individual families receive a tank that holds 2500 to 5000 liters of water and costs about 200 to 250 dollars. Schools and churches receive a tank that holds 10,000 liters of water and costs about 750 dollars.
The foundation is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational and scientific purposes (including the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as an exempt organization under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or the corresponding section of any future federal tax code).
