#ImprovingLives

Giving back to local communities has been a commitment of Davis & Shirtliff since its founding in 1946...

Listening to the community in Entomoni, especially the women, it is evident that we cannot hope to solve major issues like poverty, gender bias and illiteracy without starting with access to clean water.

A day in the life of a woman in Entomoni is characterized by a treacherously long walk to Aitong shopping center, carrying in hand two 20-liter jerricans and about KES 100 in hand, to be able to fetch some water for the day- an amount which is scarcely enough for her family’s basic needs. Entomoni, has a population of about 6,000 Maa people who have been adversely affected by drought. The consequence of this lack of access to water is apparent – early marriages and low school enrollment are common community challenges. ‘With my Own 2 Hands Foundation’ is an organization that works to provide children with the basic human rights of water, food and access to education. Early in 2020, the D&S #ImprovingLives Initiative signed a partnership agreement with the foundation, whose main objective is to drill and equip solar powered boreholes for the most vulnerable communities. The most recent beneficiary of this partnership is the community at Entomoni, where a Dayliff borehole pump has been installed and is running on solar power. The pump, powered by an array of Dayliff solar panels, provides over 2,000 liters of water per hour and with this renewable resource, the community has plans to start a communal farm run by the women of Entomoni who are also considering bee keeping as a revenue generating activity.