Published in February 2025

Living life without a reliable source of water has a knock-on effect on so many facets of life in drylands. Speaking with two members of the Ngomani community, we hear how a sand dam project has led to improvements in many areas of their lives, as well as the lives of people around them.

Agnes Mutonya and Judith Munyao are members of the Ngomani self-help group (SHG) in southeast Kenya. Both are farmers and mothers who became involved with the SHG because they wanted to build a sustainable future, free of the water crisis that had afflicted their community for so many years. Agnes shared with us how water scarcity used to affect their lives on a daily basis:

"I used to walk 3km to the nearest water source, where there were always long waits. People would flock there to collect as much as they could. Though the condition of the water was potentially dangerous, it was the only source of water we had. The journey was tiring and could take around three hours, but I felt it was my duty to get water for my family." 

Agnes Mutonya, member of the Ngomani self-help group, southeast Kenya.

On top of the challenges they faced during the daily journey to collect water, people experienced significant impacts on other aspects of their lives as a result of water scarcity and poor water quality. Judith explains how this affected her farming livelihood and her family’s wellbeing.

"My children would be forced to stay home from school when they got sick from drinking contaminated water, which affected their education. As I relied on seasonal rains and did not have enough water or farming skills, my yields were often poor. Sometimes I had to neglect my farming duties and focus on fetching water, as this was the most important thing for my household."

Despite their struggles, in 2023 the Ngomani SHG successfully constructed a sand dam in a nearby river channel with the help of Sand Dams Worldwide and our local partner in Kenya, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF) and are now experiencing the benefits of the access to water that it has enabled. Judith told us about the changes she has seen in her life as a result of the sand dam project.

"We now have water security as a community. The knowledge instilled in us plays a big part in my life. Before this project, I did not know that a woman could mix cement and lift stones. Now I have learned a lot and have even gained the confidence to do work on my home that I used to pay others to do."

Judith Munyao, member of the Ngomani self-help group, southeast Kenya.

Agnes spoke about similar changes in her own life, focusing on the benefits to agriculture she has seen.

"My farm has become more productive since I have been practising the trainings we received from ASDF in sustainable agriculture, using things like soil and water conservation to improve crop production. The green environment is being restored and we are seeing positive change in the ecosystem."

Summarising the community’s experience of their sand dam project, Agnes had the following to say.

"The community at large are very happy and optimistic because of the sand dam project in our area. Our lives have improved so much! We are healthy and bonded as a group."

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Our current appeal: please donate what you can to help build a future without hunger with sand dams