Welsh-Kenyan partnership launches crowdfunding campaign to build sustainable solar-powered borehole

A Newport-based voluntary organisation has launched a 12-week crowdfunding campaign to raise £50,000 to complete a borehole project that will bring safe drinking water to disabled people and their wider community in Makueni County, Kenya.

ResponsABLE Assistance, founded in 2005 by disability advocate Trevor Palmer, has worked in partnership with disabled community members in Kenya since 2019 through its Fursa initiative. “Fursa” means “opportunity” in Swahili — and the project supports disabled people to develop small enterprises, gain independence, and build sustainable livelihoods.

The borehole has already been drilled. However, while water has been reached, it is not yet safe for drinking. Additional work – including filtration, proper casing, pump installation and water treatment – is now urgently needed to make the water clean, accessible, and sustainable for long-term community use.

The campaign will fund the completion and treatment of the borehole, ensuring:

• Reliable access to safe drinking water for disabled people and their families
• Clean water availability for the wider local community
• Income generation to sustain the Fursa initiative
• Greater independence and opportunity for disabled entrepreneurs.

The borehole is located near the home and small enterprise of Nzembi, a disabled entrepreneur who produces sisal baskets and sells water locally. Her family has donated this plot of land to the Fursa Disability Empowerment community. Once completed, the borehole will provide reliable water access while creating a small sustainable income stream to support the wider Fursa initiative. 

At present, many disabled residents must travel long distances to collect water — a daily challenge that limits health, dignity, and economic opportunity.

Trevor Palmer, who lives with multiple sclerosis, says:

“This is not about charity. It is about opportunity. The drilling has begun the process. Now we need to finish it properly, so the water is safe and life-changing for the whole community.”

The project is supported creatively by Newport-based filmmaker Massimo Salvato, who has been documenting the Fursa initiative in Kenya and is developing a feature documentary exploring the Wales–Kenya partnership.

The crowdfunding campaign runs for 12 weeks and invites supporters to contribute at any level. Every donation helps transform an incomplete borehole into a sustainable source of safe water in this drought-stricken region of Kenya.

To donate or learn more:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/waterforfursa