Project Description

Vineyards to Villages
A unique partnership has been built between the Sonoma County wine industry and African communities through the Vineyards to Villages (V2V) initiative. Through V2V, the Sonoma County wine industry is “turning wine into water” by funding clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, and hygiene education for rural schools in western Kenya.
Led by David Stare, founder of Dry Creek Vineyard, members of the Sonoma County wine industry came together to develop the Vineyards to Villages initiative in 2012. V2V was created to address the terrible reality that access to potable water remains a key public health issue around the globe. Through the program, the wine industry supports clean water infrastructure, sanitation facilities, hygiene education, and community water kiosks at primary and secondary schools in western Kenya that previously had no clean water source whatsoever.
Waterborne disease is rampant in western Kenya and causes chronic illness and death, especially among young children. In 2013, only half of Kenyans had access to a clean water source. In 2011, the World Health Organization attributed global economic losses of $260 billion to the reduced productivity of disease-affected populations and the opportunity costs of time spent collecting water.
Vineyards to Villages is a story of communities helping communities and is the most “local international project you can find.” When you give to V2V, your money does not travel through a maze of agencies or governments but goes directly to our African partners implementing the projects in Kenya. Because we work so directly with communities, we can closely monitor funds and connect with people in Africa the way we connect with groups in need at home, through detailed conversations about how to best improve their health and productivity. Through V2V, the Sonoma County wine industry has merged the intimacy of local giving with the ability to meet some of the greatest global needs of our time.
Impact
The first school funded by V2V was Apondo Primary School. Before V2V, students walked more than three kilometers to fetch water everyday. Now, they drink clean water straight from a tap linked to a 150-meter borehole well, they have sinks to wash their hands, and their families have a water kiosk for household use.

Learn more here
Additional wineries contributing to Global Partners for Development: Korbel, Portalupi, DaVero, Coppola, Villa Rigazzi, Nevada City Winery, Benzinger & Imagery, Viansa Sonoma, and Vermeil.
Recent Projects
Mirondo & Mumbo Primary Schools
Kenya
Through this partnership, a borehole well was drilled at Mirondo Primary School and piped to Mumbo Primary School to provide water to more than 750 students. A community kiosk was placed between the two schools to provide water to 3,000 residents in the area. Hygiene and sanitation facilities at both schools were also improved with handwashing stations.
Otondo Primary School
Kenya
Funding aided in the completion of a borehole well for the primary school.
Simbi Primary School
Kenya
This project addressed the urgent need for sanitary facilities at a school of 580 students, by providing 8 latrines for students and 2 latrines for teachers, in addition to handwashing stations. A non-functioning pipeline was also fixed, allowing the school to have clean water once again.
Luora Primary School
Kenya
A borehole well and a community kiosk was developed, providing access to water for 671 primary students, 272 secondary school students, and 9,569 residents in this very dry area. Additionally, 3 boys and 3 girls latrines were built at the school, along with hand washing stations at each.
Nyang’ao Primary School
Kenya
A shallow well with hand pump was built to serve the school and community of approximately 2,500 people. Additionally, 6 greatly needed latrines were built at the school.
Boremagongo Primary School
Kenya
This shallow well serves 300 children at Boremagongo Primary School who previously sourced their water from a nearby lake.