By A, KNA
World Vision Kenya officially concluded its 15-year development programme in Mwatate Area on Thursday, marking the end of one of the organisation’s longest-running initiatives in the region and the beginning of full community ownership of development projects.
The closure ceremony which was held in Mwatate Sub-County celebrated the completion of an ambitious development journey that began on October 1, 2010.
The Christian child-focused organisation invested USD 6.57 million across integrated projects spanning water, sanitation, hygiene, education, health and child protection, directly impacting over 35,700 children and families across Mwatate, Chawia, and Bura wards.
The programme’s most visible achievement lies in addressing the community’s water crisis. Before World Vision’s intervention, children were forced to walk long distances for water, often during early morning or late evening hours, exposing them to wildlife attacks and causing frequent school absenteeism.
The organisation drilled and equipped eight boreholes that now serve more than 20,000 beneficiaries, while installing modern latrines in schools according to WHO standards, interventions that have dramatically reduced water-borne diseases and ensured consistent school attendance while improving household hygiene practices across the region.
According to Gershon Mwakazi, World Vision Kenya Director of Disaster Management, Education outcomes have seen remarkable transformation under the programme. Approximately 5,000 children received school fee support to access secondary education, with over 300 graduates proceeding to complete degrees in various Kenyan universities.
Many others continue pursuing tertiary studies, representing a generational shift in educational attainment within the community.
He noted that child protection initiatives focused heavily on training faith leaders as community champions. World Vision enrolled 150 religious’ leaders in theological training through SCOTS University, with 80 earning diplomas and 36 receiving certificates.
This trained cadre has become instrumental in promoting child welfare, preserving cultural values, and providing protective supervision within their communities.
To ensure programme sustainability, Mwakazi said that World Vision collaborated extensively with county and national governments to establish follow-up mechanisms for maintaining boreholes and infrastructure beyond the organization’s exit.
“We have been working closely with the county government and the national government to ensure that the projects we implement have a follow up. There’s a follow up strategy to make sure that the boreholes that we have, have been equiped and the water that we have, have been supplied. The government is there to follow up to ensure that these projects continue operating even after World Vision has phased out of this area,” said Mwakazi.
The Vision Fund provided community members with microfinance access, catalyzing local initiatives and encouraging ownership of development projects.
“Secondly, we do have a sister program called Vision Fund. Vision Fund is a microfinance wing of World Vision and this microfinance is here to help communities continue accessing credit to sustain either the project which they have started or the new ones for the future,” he stated.
The County Government of Taita Taveta now faces the responsibility of sustaining existing infrastructure and expanding essential services.
While other local authorities are encouraged to strengthen oversight, provide budgetary support, and integrate infrastructure maintenance into county development plans.
National government agencies, particularly the Directorate of Children’s Services, have opportunities to institutionalise child protection frameworks and integrate vulnerable children into national social protection schemes.