Over 40,000 Siaya County residents have a reason to smile after Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO) Founder and CEO Dr. Kennedy Odede launched 40 water pans in three sub-counties.
The water pans are spread across villages in Alego Usonga, Bondo, and Rarieda sub-counties.
“As SHOFCO, we’ve invested a lot in water harvesting in Siaya County. I’m glad that our well and water pans rehabilitation program has greatly helped the residents of this county who were struggling to get water consistently throughout the year,” Dr. Odede said.
Residents living close to water pans are now practicing smart agriculture which has improved food production and provide livelihoods for the residents.
“Embracing agroecology, fish farming and sustainable farming practices is not just about feeding families today, it’s about securing a resilient future for generations to come.
“I was impressed to see farmers practicing irrigation agriculture, hence making use of drylands that were initially not productive,” he added.
This week alone, the SHOFCO boss launched 28 water pans in the county and had launched 12 others earlier in the year.
“Reaching 40 water pans in Siaya County is a powerful indication of what we can achieve when communities lead the way. As we face the challenges of climate change, it’s crucial that we work hand-in-hand with local communities to develop sustainable solutions,” Dr. Odede stated.
Jennifer Akoth from Papote village in East Asembo, Rarieda Constituency thanked SHOFCO for rehabilitating water pan in her area which she said had been abandoned.
“We used to experience flooding in this village because we didn’t have water pan to collect rain water. SHOFCO has really helped us in collecting flood waters for our use during dry season,” Akoth said.
She further said the water has also enabled farmers in the village to do smart agriculture and avoid relying on rain to plant vegetables.
“Right now, we can plant vegetables such as cabbages, Sukuma wiki and tomatoes without necessary waiting for the rain to come. We have enough water to do irrigation,” she said.
Another beneficiary Leonard Obado from Nyakondo village in North Ramba Ward said they used to walk for kilometres to fetch water for domestic use.
“We used to have water challenges in this village. With the rehabilitation of this water pan, we can now access water easily. The pan is now full due to April-May rains. We used to experience flooding and within a short time, water would be gone and we continue experiencing water shortage. That is no longer the case now,” Obado said.
