From wine to water, Adelaide Hills charity brings hope to kids in Kenya

Far from a river or water source a large blue truck rolls into Esonorua Primary and Junior School, hours south of Nairobi.

Carrying thousands of litres of cargo, as it arrives the faces of students light up.

As the truck stops, a hose is connected to a large tank … and water begins to flow out the top.

As it trickles down, dozens of boys and girls stand underneath it with cups, bowls and plastic water bottles trying to capture what they can.

It's a sweltering hot day, and it's hardly rained here for months.

With 275 students and staff, Esonorua school is reliant on having water trucked in for drinking, cooking and washing.

According to headmaster Patrick Mwangi, they only have the funding to fill one of their four tanks.

Being unable to provide water and food to students is a key barrier to education in Kenya.

"Last week we didn't have food in the school because we didn't have water and in that week we have a lot of absence,"

Mr Mwangi said.

"Some of them [the students] do not have meals, do not have food at home and when they come to school there is no food."

But today, support has arrived, with Australian charity OpBlue providing two truckloads of water, which is used for drinking, cleaning and making porridge.

"When we have the food, attendance increases," Mr Mwangi said.

'A very big headache'

On each visit OpBlue staff collect data, including the number of water-borne diseases like typhoid, cholera and dysentery.

Their goal is to dramatically reduce the impact of these diseases across the country by providing clean water.

"We have a very big headache when it comes to water,"

Esonorua teacher Omondi Wyclife explained.

"That is something that I need to say we really need support in."

They also provide food and scholarships to students and staff in an effort to get more kids in school.

The charity runs more than 2,000 projects across Kenya, providing 430,000 meals a year.

The head of OpBlue's Kenyan operations is William Muchiru.

He grew up at an orphanage and knows the positive impact of education, as well as the barriers to succeed without it.

"I was given education for free … food for free, and I was able to go into my education," Mr Muchiru said.

It's that support which helped him to where he is today, and motivates him to expand the charity's reach across Kenya.

"What really drives me is to just see somebody being impacted as I was impacted for more than 15 years,"

he said.

Eleven thousand kilometres away at an Adelaide Hills vineyard, OpBlue's founder Jack Wilson is monitoring projects, disease rates and meals as well as attendance.

Between trimming the vines with his brother Harry, the 28-year-old can see what is and isn't working.

"Data collection is the backbone of what we do, if we don't do it we won't know that our projects are working," he said.

Jack and William met and bonded over their shared passion to improve the lives of future generations during Jack's visit to Kenya in 2017.

They agreed water was a priority, with Jack initially sending over 20 to 30 water filters every six months.

It led to him establishing and registering the charity.

"We're working with communities that, some of which, have never seen clean drinking water before in their lives,"

he said.

"In our eyes no child should grow up without access to clean drinking water, and no parent should be put in a position to choose between clean drinking water and none at all for their children."

The team also provides clean water, educational support and food to four of the country's largest refugee camps, near the Somali border.

"These are projects where our team put themselves in harm's way to help others … it's incredibly dangerous," Jack Wilson said.

The charity is funded in part by corporate and individual donors, as well as Jack's Willow and Goose wine label.

Jack created the brand in memory of his family home, which was destroyed in the 2019 Cudlee Creek bushfires.

"Back then we crushed 500 kilos of pinot and made it with a bunch of friends in an old barn that we built on the ashes of our own home," he said.

By providing water, food and scholarships, school attendance at Esonorua has tripled.

Much to the delight of headmaster Patrick Mwangi.

"When I came here seven years ago [attendance] was very low, we had classes with three students," he said.

"The action taken by OpBlue has made a lot of learners come to school, for the first time we have a class with over 70 students."

Attitudes towards education are also shifting in the pastoral area.

"Parents' acceptance of education has also changed … they can now pick out the positive points about education," Mr Mwangi said.

Back at the vineyard, Jack is hopeful the charity will continue to grow to support more schools and communities across Kenya.

It's a hope shared by his great mate William Muchiru.

"Knowing that a kid in a very far-off county is having education, having porridge, is having a meal at lunchtime … there's so much inner joy," Mr Muchiru said.

"That makes me feel like: 'What if I can do more for another person?'

"[There's] so much desire, so much fire to keep helping other different communities."