As part of efforts to improve availability of safe drinking water for communities affected by drought related water scarcity in Baringo, 2880 households across 4 Sub Counties are set to benefit from a 3-month supply of water treatment chemicals, buckets, jerrycans and multi-purpose soap to enhance safe water collection and storage, as well as hygiene.

The initiative which is being implemented by Action Against Hunger (ACF) in collaboration with the County Government of Baringo targets Tiaty East, Tiaty West, Baringo North and Baringo South Sub-counties, follows a SMART Survey conducted by the County Government and its partners, which showed that only 23.1% of the households treat their drinking water. According to the Survey, the main water treatment method embraced by was boiling, the households citing unavailability of water treatment chemicals, assumption that water was treated at source and low awareness about need to treat water before consumption as reasons for not treating their drinking water.

Speaking Tuesday at the National Cereals and Produce Board - Marigat depot during a ceremony to flag off a consignment of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Non-Food Items (NFIs), the Director of Promotive and Preventive Health in Baringo County Dr. Patrick Boruett, emphasized the importance of the distribution, highlighting that ACF, in collaboration with the County Departments of Health, Water, Gender, and Social Services, will conduct hygiene promotion sessions alongside the distribution. These sessions he revealed, are designed to educate beneficiaries on the significance and proper utilization of the distributed items.

Boruett who expressed deep gratitude to ACF for the ongoing support which include cash transfers and nutrition-related interventions, added that the County Health office will collaborate closely with ACF to educate communities in the target areas on clean and safe water practices, food safety, hygiene protocols including handwashing, and proper waste disposal methods. This, he said, will be a substantial contribution to improving the livelihoods and health standards of residents of the target Sub Counties.

The Field Coordinator ACF-Baringo County Rodgers Onyango revealed that the distribution of NFIs became possible through financial assistance from USAID, adding that priority was given to vulnerable households, including children under five years, pregnant and lactating women enrolled in nutrition programs, where USAID-funded projects are implemented.

I can affirm that the beneficiaries of this assistance were arrived at after a thorough verification and validation process by key County Government sector officers, ACF personnel, and community members to uphold transparency and accountability. We shall collaborate further in ensuring that communities achieve maximum value from the integrated interventions that we roll out. Rogers Said.

ACF, a key partner of the County Government of Baringo also supports the 2880 households through cash transfers, with each household receiving KES 5000 monthly. This initiative targets households with vulnerable members to enhance food security and combat rising cases of malnutrition exacerbated by droughts in the County. The cash disbursements are expected to cover 40% of the household food basket, further alleviating the impact of food insecurity in the region.

The SMART survey also highlighted hand washing at 4 critical time practice is 36.8% (Baringo North/South) and 18.7% in Tiaty, where the coverage of sanitation remained sub-optimal at 8.7%, which is below the SPHERE threshold of 50%. 91.3% relieved themselves in the bush, an increase from last year. In Baringo North/South, the percentage of sanitation coverage is 64.0% as per the survey. 35.3% relieved themselves in the bush, an increase compared to last year.

The distribution and the accompanying sensitization will go a long way in improving the indicators.