Published in July 2024

In 2023 we spoke with members of the Kwainyoe self-help group in southeast Kenya, who were in the process of constructing the second sand dam in their community. Upon revisiting Kwainyoe, Chairman Harrison Mwau and member Agnes Mwikali shared how their lives were already changing after completing their first sand dam, as well as how they expected to continue to improve their resilience to the challenges they face. 

Agnes and Harrison are both 52 years old and are parents to several children (four for Agnes and five for Harrison). With caring for their families in mind, they both became involved with the local Kwainyoe self-help group (SHG) so as to join together with their neighbours to address the water scarcity that troubled the community.

"We heard about sand dams from our neighbours and thought it was wise to form our own self-help group," Harrison tells us, "To help our community address water challenges and work towards sand dam construction."

Like most people in the local area, Agnes and Harrison are small scale farmers who depend on a reliable source of water for their livelihoods. Hence, after learning about the benefits of sand dams, they approached our Kenyan partners, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF), to begin working on a project of their own.

Prior to beginning their project, the availability of clean and safe water was a serious concern for local people. As Agnes explains, being forced to drink dirty water had significant impacts on peoples’ health.

"Before we started working on our sand dam projects, our life was very hard. The nearby hospital used to be filled with patients, with around 70% of them having contracted waterborne diseases which made them very unwell. Hygiene and sanitation levels were way below average, leaving the whole community at risk of falling sick."

Agnes expands on how this situation impacted people due to the knock-on effects on other parts of their lives.

"Whenever children fell sick, they would not be able to attend school because of needing treatment. For me, I would not have time to trek all the way to the river to fetch water and then come back to complete work at my home, so many things were left unattended. This weighed me down in terms of my development."

Agnes Mwikali, member of the Kwainyoe self-help group, southeast Kenya.

Constructing their first sand dam helped to improve this situation greatly, by providing a reliable source of clean water closer to peoples’ homes. Harrison testifies to the impact this has had on his water collection journey.

"Now I take around 30 minutes to fetch water from our first sand dam and the journey is not bad at all. But when the second one is complete, I shall only have to walk for about 10 minutes! Having two sand dams is of high importance for our community, as they will help us to fully achieve water security."

The construction of a sand dam can bring vital changes to so many facets of people’s lives in drylands. Agnes describes such changes that she has been experiencing.

"I now walk shorter distances to fetch water and have enough time to tend to other duties on my farm and in my home. I do not worry about fetching water because I know it is readily available and it never dries up! We are glad for the help we have now and still hoping to do much more. We are becoming a resilient community that is able to produce food and have water security."

Harrison shares how his ambitions have been raised by the continued improvement in his community’s water situation.

"With sand dam construction underway, I am always with the group trying to enhance its cohesiveness and lead it to success. I hope to make the difference in our village and be a successful farmer too. My life will be good!"

Harrison Mwau, chairman of the Kwainyoe self-help group, southeast Kenya.

To conclude the interview, Agnes tells us about her own hopes for the future for her farm and her livelihood.

"My farm looks really green and good since we were taught how to dig terraces and were given trees to plant, which are doing well so far. I would love to plant new crops soon, like mangoes, kales and red peppers. I hope to have profits that I can put into savings and use to pay school fees for my children. It is so rewarding to work on a project where the benefits are simple and clear."

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Our current appeal: Please donate what you can and help give the lasting gift of sand dams and clean water to the next generation of vulnerable dryland communities