Outreach story · Mwakirunge
Restoring dignity through water and sanitation in Mwakirunge.
Clean water and dignified sanitation for the vulnerable families who live and work around Mombasa's Mwakirunge dumpsite.
For many years, Wema Centre Trust has worked alongside vulnerable families living around the Mwakirunge dumpsite in Mombasa through our outreach programmes. The community faces immense challenges, with many households relying on scavenging recyclable materials from the dumpsite to earn a living. Amid these difficult circumstances, access to clean water and proper sanitation remains a daily struggle.
Through regular household visits, Wema Centre social workers have witnessed firsthand the harsh realities faced by residents. Many families live without access to toilets or safe drinking water, leading to widespread open defecation, increased health risks, and conditions that undermine human dignity — especially for children, women, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.
In response to these urgent needs, Wema Centre Trust has launched the Mwakirunge Water and Sanitation Project, an initiative aimed at improving community health and restoring dignity.
Project highlights
Two interventions, one promise: dignity.
Access to safe drinking water
- A 5,000-litre water storage tank providing clean drinking water for vulnerable families.
- Regular refilling to ensure a reliable, sustainable supply.
Improved sanitation facilities
- Four Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines — two for women and girls, two for men and boys.
- Biological waste-treatment technology to improve hygiene, reduce odours and manage waste.
Expected impact
Hundreds of residents, healthier and safer.
The project will benefit hundreds of people living and working around the dumpsite.
- Improved access to safe drinking water
- Reduced waterborne and sanitation-related diseases
- Healthier living conditions across the community
- Greater privacy, safety and personal dignity
- A cleaner environment for families and children
- Long-term community health and well-being
Every child deserves a clean environment, every woman deserves privacy and safety, and every family deserves access to safe water and basic sanitation.
At its core, the Mwakirunge Water and Sanitation Project is about restoring dignity and hope — Wema Centre Trust's continuing commitment to building healthier, safer and more dignified communities.
Help us bring water and dignity to more communities.
Your gift funds tanks, latrines and the patient outreach that makes them last.