Water for Change: Glory Nkatha’s Journey to Self-Sufficiency

USEFUL STORED WATER FOR NUTRITIONAL LIFE

Glory Nkatha is a middle-aged young woman happily married with two children. She is a member of Mugae CBO Self-Help Group located in Mugae Village, Ruiri-Rwarera Ward in Buuri Constituency of Meru County. Glory is a self-driven woman full of passion for what she does and whenever an opportunity is presented to her, she usually does it to her level best. She got to know about CIFORD Kenya in 2023 when the organization entered Ruiri-Rwarera Ward and recruited several community self-help groups to work with where Mugae CBO a 33-member is one of them.

‘I used to have back problems caused by walking for 1.5 kilometres in search of water and carry it on my back on my way home. I also spent a lot of money buying vegetables from the market since I did not have my home garden to consume organic home-grown vegetables. Fetching water consumed most of my time which made me get late to the market hence I always find the almost-rotten remnant vegetables for consumption,’ Glory narrated. She said some years back the area used to receive enough rainfall because the indigenous trees were all over and only a few people stayed in the area. But with time due to human population increase, new occupants came to their area who were cutting down the indigenous trees to create space for settlement and create land for farming activities. The encroachment of several forests left the area with few to no tall trees existing. This disrupted rainfall patterns and currently the area receives erratic rainfall and more so prolonged drought throughout the year. The situation has led to increased water shortage for domestic uses and even scarce for mini-farming practices. ‘Whenever there is no water stress and fear surround my family as I am not sure where I can get water because even where we go to fetch water sometimes the queues are very long hence one may even go back home without accessing water that day,’ Gloria tearfully said.

CIFORD Kenya through her group, supported her with a water tank with a capacity of 2300 litres and was trained on water handling, treatment and proper utilization. She was also trained on basic knowledge and skills on simple nutritional garden making especially if she gets surplus water from the water tank after basic prior family water uses. She was also trained on recycling and re-using the used water in her home for the nutritional garden. ‘Since I received the water tank, during the short rains season, I can harvest adequate water for many domestic uses at my household. I can now get clean water for drinking with my family members, clean water for washing clothing and the surplus water I can now grow a nutritional garden within my compound. I have stocked enough water for use even when there are no rains,’ She stated happily.

At first, when CIFORD Kenya was training her and her group members on importance of having a reliable water storage water tank, she was in a world of fantasy about the benefits but since she received the water tank, she can comfortably testify the miraculous things the water tank has done to her household. Glory Nkatha is now a living testimonial not only to her fellow group members of Mugae CBO self-help group but also the surrounding community members as she can share the clean water to those who lack water and sell surplus vegetables to her interested neighbours.

 ‘Before CIFORD Kenya came to our community I did not have a nutritional garden, but now this is my productive nutritional garden. I have cultivated a variety of crops within my compound from the excess water flow tapped from the water tank that I was supported by CIFORD Kenya. I can now have enough nutritious green vegetables and other crops for my family and save the money for use in other family expenses. I have grown; cow peas, corriander, Irish potatoes, maize, eggplant, kales, spinach, tomatoes and black night shade,’ She comfortably showcased it.

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