Utooni is not an insular group. It builds water tanks and gutters for non-members at no cost. The only thing a non-member needs to provide is the material. This is one of the many benefits of coming together, Ithau says, that the Group has recognized. As members no longer need to fetch water from the 30 rivers that flow around the Kola area, and instead rely on rainwater, which is then boiled, the incidences of stomach upsets and diarrhea have dropped considerably.
Hunger remains a problem, however, especially during droughts like the one Kenya is undergoing now.
Our farms are small and we can never harvest enough to last more than one season. So if the rains fail for more than one season hunger becomes a problem. Yes, but the water in the tanks is used mainly for domestic use and watering our nurseries. The water in the dams could be used to irrigate our farms, but only a few of us can afford to buy pumps to pump water to our farms. After building 105 dams, this is an unfortunate position to be in.