Clean Water For All

District Public Health Officer

So my 9:00 am meeting kicked off right on time at 11:15 this morning.  Fortunately, it was worth the wait and we had a very productive meeting with the District Public Health Officer overseeing Kibera.  It’s becoming very clear that the District Officer who we’ve met with a few times is a strong supporter of our organization when listening to his introduction.  He can articulate the need for our presence and the value of our model about as clearly as I can.  After the conversation with the District Public Health Officer, I believe he’s now just as big an ally.  Both officials clearly recognize that poor water quality at the time of consumption is a likely contributor to the outbreaks of cholera they’re currently experiencing and waterborne disease in general within Kibera.  They also seem to have a lot of confidence in our operating model and strategy, which is quite encouraging. 

Next week we will present our concept to a large group of 15-20 community leaders and water vendors.  I anticipate a lot more questions and a bit more skepticism in this group, but it will be a challenge that I’m very much looking forward to.  Fortunately I’ll now have the District Officer and District Public Health Officer at my side to lend credibility and political cover.  My hope is that after next week’s meeting, we’ll receive the approval to register as an official organization with the Kenyan government and the go-ahead to begin operations when we’re ready.  I’ll certainly post an update next week after the meeting with hopefully good news.  Things are starting to get exciting!