The generous support of the 1978 Foundation enabled Princeton’s Engineers Without Borders Kenya team to launch construction on a high-impact water distribution project in the Nyabohanse community of Kenya, while also providing an invaluable educational experience for five Princeton students. The contribution directly supported both project implementation costs (materials and labor) and student travel expenses, making this trip and the progress of the project possible.
Our project is a large-scale water distribution system designed to expand access to safe, reliable water. Today, many Nyabohanse residents rely on rainwater catchment or local rivers, often walking long distances to collect water. Community leaders have consistently emphasized that water access is the community’s most urgent challenge. Although there is an existing government-owned system with household connections, it remains nonfunctional due to low water pressure.
To address this, our team is building on the existing infrastructure by adding:
- 150 m³ elevated steel water storage tank
- 1.5 km pipeline connecting existing pipeline to steel water tank
- 3 distribution lines
- 5 m³ plastic storage tank and two tap stands at primary school
- Community water kiosk at primary school
When complete, the system will deliver clean water directly to over 1,200 students, more than 500 households, and countless additional community members. This initiative is made possible through a four-way partnership between our Princeton EWB team, Duveskog Primary School, Migori Water and Sanitation Company (MIWASCO), and Lake Region Development Program (LRDP).
This August, our team spent three weeks on-site to oversee the start of construction, which is being carried out by three local contractors. During the trip, we:
- Monitored construction progress and conducted quality assurance tests
- Collected field data to support technical design adjustments
- Issued contract addendums to address small but necessary modifications
- Facilitated communication between contractors and project partners to ensure role clarity
- Organized community-wide meetings with local leaders, residents, and government officials to build transparency and gather feedback
These meetings proved especially critical in securing government support to expand the project scope in the future, which will allow for additional distribution lines and household connections beyond our original design.
For the Princeton students involved, the trip was both professionally and personally transformative. We applied engineering skills to real-world challenges, practiced technical problem-solving in the field, and strengthened our abilities in project management, cross-cultural collaboration, and adaptive leadership. The cultural immersion and daily engagement with our partners deepened our understanding of both engineering and community-driven development.
Although construction is ongoing and scheduled for completion in November, we remain closely involved through remote coordination with our in-country partners. Seeing our designs take shape in Nyabohanse and working directly with the beneficiaries of the system has been incredibly rewarding.
On behalf of our entire team and the Nyabohanse community, we sincerely thank the 1978 Foundation for making this work possible.
Sincerely,
Princeton’s Engineers Without Borders Kenya Team
Here are some pictures highlighting our trip and the construction progress:
