With funding provided by USAID, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners are combining geospatial data from remote sensing with traditional hydrogeological methods to map groundwater resources in two study areas in Kenya and Ethiopia. The primary goals of the project are to locate and quantify the groundwater aquifers in order to support sustainable management of the resource and generate higher success rate when drilling water supply wells, as well training local water resources agency staff and others on the methodology used to develop the maps.

With funding from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) has trained nearly 30 journalists from the Nile Basin and across the Middle East on a variety of water issues. The trainings built capacity among journalists who often do not have the resources to focus on a single topical issue, such as water. This project represented whole-of-government thinking resulting in an U.S. government interagency project that impacts millions of people by bringing them reliable news and information about water issues. 

In Kenya, more than 95 percent of human fecal sludge is released into the environment untreated or inadequately treated, contributing to a high burden of childhood morbidity and mortality from diarrheal diseases. In addition, charcoal made from illegally logged trees is a major source of cooking fuel in Kenya, contributing to deforestation and to unhealthy indoor air quality.