The Water Project

At its core, Legacy Plumbing exists to positively transform lives.

This is our purpose. We believe we are called to spread the Light in the world and help those in need, so we are always on the lookout for ways to positively impact those who need help. When we found out about The Water Project, it became clear that supporting this group’s mission to bring clean, accessible water to thousands of people would be a focus of Legacy Plumbing.

Indoor plumbing is something we all take for granted in our daily lives until something happens that interrupts our routines. It is hard to imagine that a lack of indoor plumbing and basic sanitation is a reality for so much of the world in this day and age. 

As a plumbing company, we have a unique perspective on this. Every day, we help people locally who have had to briefly go without water in their homes due to a plumbing emergency. We get so much joy from being able to restore water and help our customers get back to normal. Through The Water Project, we are now able to be a part of spreading this good in a global way and truly help people who cannot help themselves.

We have supported many projects since 2014, most of them fully funded by Legacy Plumbing. Please take a few minutes to read more about some of these wonderful projects we are privileged to be a part of. And thank you for making all of this possible!

Legacy's Water Projects

Total Number of Projects: 8 Total Funds Raised: $77,822.70 Total Individuals Served: 3,937


“The Water Project, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization unlocking human potential by providing reliable water projects to communities in sub-Saharan Africa who suffer needlessly from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation.”TheWaterProject.org

LEGACY'S WATER PROJECTS

Current Project: Kyamulinge Primary School

We are extremely excited to announce that Legacy has been blessed to fund another clean-water project at a school in Kenya. This is the 10TH project we have funded since 2012.

The funds we are providing will build a 104,000 liter rain water collection tank, latrines, hand washing stations and education to the community to talk about the importance of using clean water to prevent sicknesses, such as Ebola and Covid-19.

Currently, there is no water for the 318 students at this school. Students are required to carry a jerrycan of water to school with them, which is over 2 kilometers away. Because of inadequate water, the school also had to scrap their feeding program. Because of the intense poverty level in the area, many do not have food from home and stay hungry the entire day. To make matters worse, the water sources they are currently using are contaminated and many students get sick with waterborne illnesses daily.

Check out the link below to read more about this community and see pictures of the people we are helping.

2020 Legacy Plumbing Water Project: Kinu Friends Secondary School​ Rainwater Catchment

2020 Project: Kinu Friends Secondary School

The 140+ students and 16 teachers at the Kinu Friends Secondary School near Gisambai, Kenya had no access to water at the school itself. All water for washing, cooking, drinking, and sanitation had to be carried over manually from the village spring. The laborious time involved in waiting in line for water at this spring and carrying it all the way back to the school took students away from their studies and was a source of tension with the local community as the school continued to grow. To make matters worse, the secondary school had no dedicated latrines.

The Water Project put together a plan to help address some of these basic needs. The core of this plan was a 75,000-liter rainwater collection tank constructed mainly of concrete. In addition, new latrines were planned as well as handwashing stations. Finally, coupled with these physical improvements, The Water Project’s plan included in-depth training for the students and staff on proper hygiene and sanitation.

Even though the regular school schedule was suspended in Kenya for much of 2020, work was able to begin on this project with full community involvement. It was completed by early December 2020 – just in time for the new school year in January!

2019 Legacy Plumbing Project: Mukama Primary School​ Rainwater Catchment, Handwashing Station, and Latrines

2019 Project: Mukama Primary School

The 660+ students of the Mukama Primary School near Bungoma, Kenya had no onsite water source for their school other than a piped water system that was only available to them for a 3-hour window once a week. Students had to manually bring water with them to school (sometimes a 45-minute walk). This was proving to be a significant distraction from the otherwise peaceful learning environment for the farming community’s school. Furthermore, the latrines were in a very dilapidated state.

The Water Project’s plan to address this community’s pressing needs involved the construction of a 50,000-liter rainwater collection tank, new quality latrines, and handwashing stations. In addition to these planned improvements, in-depth training and education would be provided to the school to enable them to practice effective sanitation and properly maintain these structures.

The project was set into motion, and the installation crew was fully supported by the students and staff of the school. Everything was completed in February 2020. The project was a success, and the students and staff participated in the training with enthusiasm.

2018 Legacy Plumbing Project: Kaliani Community​ New Hand Dug Well

2018 Project: Kaliani Community

The people in the Kaliani community near Mwaani, Kenya had to travel more than two miles to fetch water for their community. In addition, the scoop holes along the riverbed where they sourced the water were high-risk for contamination. There was a big need in this community for training in proper sanitation and hygiene.

The Water Project had a relationship with the Kikaka Self-Help Group – a group of local farmers in the surrounding communities banding together to improve the quality of life in the area. In light of these facts, the Water Project embarked on several projects to serve this area – constructing a sand dam, building a hand-dug well, and offering extensive training to accompany these. Legacy Plumbing was proud to fund the hand-dug well portion of this project.

In January 2019, the project was officially completed. A couple of months later in March, the rainfall was enough to start using the well! The construction process was a team effort. While The Water Project provided the expertise, the local community provided much of the labor. Actively involved throughout the entire process, the people of Kaliani were also trained on maintenance and repair for the improvement as well.

Mwiyenga Primary School​ New Rainwater Catchment Tank and Handwashing Stations

2017 Project: Mwiyenga Primary School

For the 660+ students and 16 teachers at the Mwiyenga Primary School near Musoli, Kenya water and sanitation was a daily struggle. The only water storage onsite were two containers totaling about 8,500 liters. As these quickly emptied, many students had to bring their own water from home. Most of the water sources readily available to these students were unsafe. Typhoid, swollen stomachs, and parasites were among the issues reported.

After thoroughly assessing the situation and investigating the best way to help this school, The Water Project put together a plan that included extensive training in sanitary practices along with building a 50,000-liter rainwater collection tank, handwashing stations, and new latrines.

In December 2017, this project was officially completed. Six latrines were fully built; two hand-washing stations were established; and the rainwater tank was completed and fully functional. The school staff, parents, and students all pitched in. A core group of 20 students was taught about sanitary practices in-depth. They were then equipped to pass on this information to their peers and foster a culture of healthy habits at the school.

Ewamakhumbi Primary School​ Handwashing Stations

2016 Project: Ewamakhumbi Primary School

Ewamakhumbi Primary School near Butsotso, Kenya was started in 1975. The school had a population of over 1,100 students and 18 teachers when this project was first started. An unprotected well with no pump was the only onsite source of water for this school. All other water had to be manually hauled by the students from their homes or from an unprotected spring 1 kilometer away from the school along a dangerous and secluded path. On top of this, only 13 latrines remained usable for the entire school.

The Water Project put together a plan to help alleviate some of these issues. This plan included a 30,000-liter rainwater collection tank, 6 new latrines, 2 hand-washing stations, and a significant amount of hygiene and sanitation training to be conducted.

This project was officially completed toward the end of November 2016. A year later, the school had already grown to 1,400 students – to a large part because of the improved facilities. The sanitation practices continue to be utilized and taught at the school.

New Hand-dug well

2015 2nd Project: Athiani Community

The Athiani Community has struggled with access to water for both basic cooking and sanitation purposes as well as agricultural purposes. The water sources these people relied upon were between 1 and 4 kilometers away. The constant burden of transporting water cut significantly into farming productivity. The Water Project teamed up with the African Sand Dam Foundation to build a sand dam and hand-dug well to help relieve these issues.

The official completion date was October of 2015. The particular project that Legacy Plumbing contributed to was the construction of the well at the site of the dam.

Asatsa Spring​ Protected Spring

2015 Project: Emukhalari Community, Asatsa Spring

The Emukhalari Community (about 20 families) near Butsotso, Kenya relied on the Asatsa natural spring as their primary source of clean water for drinking, cooking, and washing. Unfortunately, this unprotected spring was frequently contaminated by runoff from the surrounding land and resulted in unsafe water.

The Water Project partnered with the Western Water And Sanitation Forum to build a protected spring at this spot to eliminate many of these problems. After receiving the local support and materials necessary, this project was officially completed in December 2015. In addition to the protected spring structure, this project also encompassed building sanitation platforms for different families in the community.

Hanga Asiyanju​ New Hand-Dug Well

2014 Project: Hanga Asiyanju

Hanga Asiyanju is a village near Kitanyata, in midwestern Uganda. The source they relied upon for clean water was a protected spring that had fallen into a state of disrepair. Combining that with unsanitary practices such as open defecation, this village of about 150 people offered an opportunity for service that was brought to the attention of The Water Trust, who then partnered with The Water Project.

A plan was put forth to build a hand-dug well that would provide a new clean water source for the village. Contingent on the commissioning of this well was that each household would have a latrine and move away from sanitation habits that could lead to contamination.

The pump head was installed and the project was officially completed in March of 2014. An approach called Community-Led Total Sanitation was implemented to train the residents and establish systems of peer encouragement to motivate improved sanitation habits.