Mary begins her days before the sun rises. She brews tea for her husband, washes her clothes, tidies up her home and then heads off to work. But her “office” is no ordinary place.
It’s a water kiosk on her women empowerment group's land - a place once defined by long walks for water and heavy jerry cans. Now, thanks to their women-led water micro enterprise, Mary runs the kiosk full-time - unlocking its padlock just before 8am. She’s the water manager, seller, community leader, and one of the reasons why her neighbors no longer have to struggle for this basic need.
"I’m Mary," she shared proudly. "I’m Kenyan, and I love people."
But before we drilled a water borehole at her village, Mary remembers just how hard life was - especially for women. “Before you came to help us, we were very poor. It was hard, carrying water for women like me. The price for buying water was very expensive.” But things shifted when we partnered with her group of remarkable women. What used to feel like survival now feels like stewardship.
"The water that came here is very cheap," she tells us. "It’s wonderful. We say thank you.” Mary is now the full-time manager of her community’s women-led water enterprise—run 24/7, by her. She sells clean water, maintains the site, manages the money, and helps it grow.
With her leadership and the support of women in her savings group, they’ve turned water into a source of income and hope. Together, they purchased a concrete lockbox to protect earnings, and they’re saving for a fence and a shelter for rainy days. Every Thursday, the women meet to plan, save, and dream.
And it’s not just water. The ripple effect is real. They’ve even started farming vegetables - cabbages now, tomatoes and onions soon. The goal? Extra income for things like school fees, medicine, and clothes. "Water is life," Mary says. "You can’t do anything without it - to cook, to drink, to wash your body. Everything is water.”
Today, Mary stands behind the kiosk nearly every day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. She knows the people who come to fill up. Some arrive on donkeys. Others drive in from far away because, as she puts it, “The water here tastes so good and is clean so it keeps us healthy.”
Mary is over 60 years old. But she talks about the future like someone just getting started. “We are growing. The children are playing. We want to expand the water so more people can have it in their homes.”
There was so much strength in her voice. So much purpose in her days. As she reflects on all that’s changed, Mary paused. “I’ve been living here for five years now,” she says softly. “And now, people are coming. They are coming, coming, coming… because they know it’s here.” They know there’s water. They know it’s run by strong women.
Thanks to her leadership - and to supporters like you - Mary’s no longer just fetching water. She’s changing what’s possible with it. When you support women-led solutions like Mary’s, you invest in more than clean water. You invest in health, dignity, income, and a future full of promise.
