The Boy With the Wheelbarrow…Where Water Flows, Futures Begin

Today is a school day, but this young boy isn’t in class. He wasn’t there yesterday—and, in fact, he’s never been. Instead of learning from books, his daily lessons revolve around survival: fetching water for his family.

With no donkey to lighten the load, he built a makeshift wheelbarrow to transport a heavy jerrycan to and from a distant, hard-to-reach water source—one that’s also used by livestock.

He comes from HulaHula, a community of 10,000 people tucked into Mt. Marsabit in Saku Constituency, Marsabit County, Kenya. For more than 55 years since the village was established, clean water has remained painfully out of reach. The only available source is a spring deep within the forest, where tribal conflicts over access are common—and sometimes fatal. In the dry season, the spring often dries up entirely, forcing villagers to walk over 10 kilometers in search of water, exposing them to exhaustion, dehydration, and even wildlife attacks.

Determined to change that, Kenya Drylands Education Fund (KDEF) is doing what many thought impossible: locating a sustainable water source closer to the road and the heart of the community.

With the support of local administrators and the expertise of geophysicists and technical teams, KDEF successfully drilled 570 meters underground—uncovering a safe, sufficient water source that will serve schools, health facilities, and the entire village for years to come.

And now, this young boy has a chance at something more. No longer bound to the burden of water collection, he can step into a classroom for the first time. He’ll bring with him the grit, creativity, and determination that helped him survive in a world stacked against him.

My guess? He’s going to make it!