The UK just witnessed the hottest February day on record. We hit over 20C, in Wales, even before the solstice. I’m sat in my garden thinking up this post right now, soaking up the sun that barely gets over the roof, its angle is still so low!

Meanwhile, in Kenya, our friends are really struggling. They are back to having to travel all the way to Lake Amboseli for water, over 40km. The animals are struggling too and conflicts are increasing. The village recently lost a young boy, Naipanoi, after a lone bull elephant attacked while he was herding the cattle to the Lake.

We’ve known Enkiito for many years now (9) and searched many options for them. A well is too expensive with too high a risk factor. Due to the lava bedrock it would have to be a very deep 280m which heightens the risk of the mineral content of the water being too high even for the cattle. That’s before the risk of the actual pump failing. 

We built a permanent waterhole for them, with rainwater-harvesting capability, but without rains it can only be filled with water tankers, which is becoming unsustainable for donors and the village.

We’ve found another solution.

It will require an investment of at least $15,000, but relies entirely on solar (or biomass) and, using adiabatic processes, would provide up to 75 gallons of fresh, clean water, EVERY DAY, out of thin air (250/75 model).

SkyWater recently won the XPrize competition & have already promised us discounts. The units are designed to be lower power consumption, needing either solar or biofuel-gasifiers (electric power generators which run on any and all bio fuels; cow manure, dried brush, rubbish etc.). Enkiito is a semi arid area with low humidity, which would reduce the normal capability, but it’s still better than the solution they have now and would free up time again for the mamas and children to make jewellery, play & go to school.

In trying to help this community we’ve made them more dependent on the village, ie its harder to remain even semi-nomadic, leaving the schools and homes behind. For thousands of years the tribes would move around with the rains, but climate change is making this exceedingly difficult.

The village collective, with other farmers, also practice planned grazing to help re-green the area, but it’s a slow natural process. Just imagine having no water in your taps, just for 1 day?

Now all we need is the money” [Dr. Ellie Arroway, Contact 1997].

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