The water tanks are all full following recent rains and currently being used by the community. This year the community did not need to purchase fresh water for home consumption and they believe the new tanks, together with the rehabilitated ones, have enough storage for eight months. Through the women’s group, the community has also initiated efforts towards establishing an apiary within the forest to generate income through conservation efforts, and so far a total of 150 bee hives have been purchased. It is noteworthy that this could not have been achieved if the forest had not been established as a community forest.

Field representative Dishon Murage reports that the Wasini community received funding from the Japanese government Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Securities Project to build additional water cisterns for nearby Mkwiro Village. This funding was only made available to the community based on the performance of the Seacology funded project. In addition, sign posts were installed on all the Seacology funded water cisterns to recognize the support provided by Seacology to Wasini Village for assisting them solve the perennial freshwater shortage.

Rehabilitation and construction of the water tanks funded by Seacology was successfully completed. The tanks were inspected by officers from the Ministry of Water and a certificate of completion was issued. Currently the surrounding mangrove forest covering five square kilometers remains protected, and various meetings were held in the village in September, October and November to define the process of forming a Wasini Community Forest Association to manage the forest.

As of April 2009, the rehabilitation of existing tanks is 100% complete, including the construction of a catchment area, security wall and gutters; construction of the new tank is 75% complete and the rehabilitation of the Wasini Womens Eco-Tourism Boardwalk is 40% complete. The mangrove forest remains protected and various meetings have been held in the village by the Assistant Chief to inform villagers that no harvesting or cutting of the mangroves is allowed. In addition the initial commitment by Seacology to protect the fragile coastal resources of Wasini Island has enabled leverage for additional funding from the government on a larger scale to protect both coastal and marine resources for islands in the south coast. Development Director Susan Racanelli will visit this project in June 2009.

The project began in September 2008. As of November 2008, the community had formed a Project Implementation Committee, identified the site for a new water tank, replaced asbestos roofing with safer roofing materials at the existing water collection and storage tank area, and hired a contractor to begin work on the new water tank construction and existing tank rehabilitation.