About 40 kilometres from Abim town, the day began before sunrise for the children of Barotukei Primary School. For the majority of the 1,031 pupils, the first lesson of the day was not on the blackboard but rather a gruelling, two-kilometre trek to fetch water, a duty that fell disproportionately on the shoulders of young girls.
That old reality is being washed away. Today, the laughter of children in the school compound has replaced those long, silent walks, thanks to a new solar-powered water system. The project is funded by the proceeds of the Absa KH3-7 Hills Run and implemented in partnership with World Vision and now serves over 4,000 people in the Barotukei community.
This initiative marks the second phase of the run’s outreach, following a similar project in the neighbouring Awach community in 2024. The new system features a borehole sunk 101 meters deep, powered by solar panels that generate 12KW of electricity. A 10,000-liter tank distributes clean, instant water to 12 strategically placed Public Stand Posts with 3 taps each (four within the school grounds and eight across the wider community).
Where scattered boreholes once demanded up to two hours of pumping before seeing the first drop, water access is now instant. For Auma Margaret, an elder who has lived in the community all her life, this transformation is deeply personal. “I have always had to rely on streams that required serious boiling before any use,” she says. “I appreciate the opportunity to have access to water that is clear, clean and nearby.”
The most profound change, however, is in education. Headteacher Ojuma Joel Ploba notes that while enrolment in lower primary is high, girls historically dropped out as they got older, often due to the burden of fetching water and a lack of facilities for menstrual hygiene.
“This water is a big contribution towards the future I envision, where the school can retain and graduate more students,” he stated.
This vision is now supported by a new WASH facility, part of the “Keep A Girl Child In School” initiative. For students like Primary Six pupil Apio Martha, it means no longer missing critical school days. “I’m grateful for my Senior Woman Teacher,” Apio shares. “She taught us about menstrual hygiene practices and how to make reusable pads to replace the rags I used during the months after I first got my period.”
With a WASH facility now on-site as part of the “Keep A Girl Child In School” initiative, girls no longer miss critical school days due to a lack of water or dignity.
The system’s sustainability is ensured through community ownership. Three members per committee will be trained in operational dynamics, with the district water board involved to safeguard the water source from damage by the warriors who descend from the neighbouring hills and roam around Barotukei at night.
As Hon. Janet Grace Akech Okori-Moe, Woman MP for Abim, affirmed at the commissioning, “The people of Barotukei take this project as our own. We thank everyone involved for this transformative gift.”
This serves as an investment in health, education and community, and every step taken in the 2025 Absa KH3-7 Hills Run has culminated in this moment in Barotukei, where a simple turn of a tap opens a world of potential for these young girls and generations to come.
