Laban MacOpiyo, our consultant, is experienced at facilitating field work and brought on-board experienced staff able to conduct discussions and interviews in local dialects. The team was taking shape.
As became the pattern for every site visit, we began with a short meeting with the village and Water User Committee (WUC) chairpersons before being shown the water point system. Then, under the welcome shade of acacia trees, three focus group discussions were conducted in parallel, led in the local language by enumerators.
We then travelled northwards to Kakuma – the base for the next round of field visits. Located in one of Kenya’s most remote and impoverished areas – towards the border of South Sudan – Kakuma is known primarily for its refugee camp which now accommodates almost 200,000 refugees from neighbouring countries.
At Lokipetot Akwan, it was heart-warming to hear the story of a woman who, with two young children, no longer needs to walk 15 kilometres in search of water.
Miriam Denis Le Sève