Kenya: Water (that isn’t there) in Turkana

This is one of the driest (and most forgotten) regions of the country: for many rural communities, reaching a water source is impossible, leaving them with no choice but to dig into dry riverbeds, hoping to find drops of water that can be filtered.

The Diocese of Lodwar covers a vast territory and includes pastoral communities scattered across areas that are difficult to reach.

Yet the universal mission of the Church reaches even here: Turkana is among the areas included in the programmes supported by the network of the Pontifical Mission Societies (PMS).

Quenching thirst

For years, Comboni brother Dario Laurencig searched for underground water to identify suitable locations for drilling new wells.

“Water is essential for life, and I believe it takes precedence over any other commitment,” he said in a testimony published by the Comboni Missionaries.

Lodwar appears several times in the PMS accounts in recent years: between 2022 and 2023, the diocese received several Vatican funds, including through the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood, and developed programmes for children and the spiritual formation of the faithful in parishes.

The mechanism is as simple as it is effective: the money collected through the PMS reaches a local Church, which uses it to maintain its presence and fund pastoral and social activities.

Quenching the thirst for water means taking a further step towards another kind of thirst and a different need: both spiritual and human.

Father Mitiku Habbthe, a Comboni missionary from Ethiopia among the Turkana people, writes that “the work of evangelisation goes hand in hand with human development” and identifies well drilling as one of the missionary activities, alongside education, catechist training, food programmes and peacebuilding initiatives.

The PMS, and therefore specifically the missionary Church of Pope Leo, contribute through the Universal Solidarity Fund, while the diocese manages projects and facilities on the ground with funding from alternative sources.

Various projects

Among the projects funded directly by Rome (also thanks to the collection held during World Mission Sunday in October) and intended for the diocese are those supporting the early childhood school in Katilia-Lokori, funds for the parish of St Dennis Kataboi, and even a healthcare programme for the EWOI Centre.

Solidarity between dioceses in Africa is a constant, even when food is scarce: in December 2025, around thirty children from the Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood in the Diocese of Kakamega collected aid for their peers in Lodwar, bringing food, clothing and materials for community activities. The director of the PMS in Lodwar also took part in the initiative.

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