Published in March 2025

We spoke with Khulekani from Zimbabwe to learn about his experience of sand dam projects in his area. He shared that working with Dabane Trust, our partners in Zimbabwe, has helped him and his community to acquire valuable new knowledge and skills (in areas such as personal hygiene and environmental health), which they can use to address the challenges of water scarcity.

Can you tell us your name and a bit about yourself?

My name is Khulekani Moyo, I am 54 years old and I have two children. I took part in the construction of the Sivumani and Asibambaneni sand dams. I helped to carry stones to the construction site and assisted the builders there. The work was quite challenging but we are thankful to Dabane for assisting us.

How did you first hear about sand dam projects?

I wasn’t aware of sand dams before meeting Dabane, I only knew of dams where you block a river and the water fills on the other side. I learned about sand dams when a local councillor gave us the news that Dabane would be helping us to start constructing sand dams nearby. I was eager to take part in the construction because we dearly needed water in our village. I heard that sand dams are more reliable than other water collection methods which we had previously used, so for us it was something new to venture to and to learn more about.

What was your life like before you began working on the sand dam projects in your area?

Before we constructed these sand dams we had a great challenge with fetching water. We were travelling long distances to find water each day, around 4km. This was especially a challenge when watering our livestock as we had to cross a main road on the journey, which could be dangerous.

What was your farm like before the sand dam projects and how has it changed since?

We were farming before we built the sand dams but we had the challenge of our crops wilting, because this is a drought-prone area. If we relied on the rains, we would usually lose our crops as they would wilt before we could harvest them. Now with our sand dams it is easier because if the rains do not come, we can supplement using the water from our sand dams. We used to grow small grain crops in our area like millet and sorghum, but now we have been encouraged to work on our gardens and grow vegetables like tomatoes, onions, spinach and more. Now it is easier for us because we can use the water from the sand dams.

Have you taken part in any training sessions?

Yes we have participated in trainings about general hygiene, environmental health, and our personal hygiene. I have learned about how we can make soap to wash our hands and also that we should have two or three places for handwashing, one by the entrance to our homes, one by the side of the toilet, and another one in the home. We are now implementing these measures as a village.

How do you feel when you think about your sand dams and everything you have achieved?

"I feel very happy! I hope that sand dam projects can be extended to other communities so that all of us will benefit together. Now we have a permanent reliable water source, which is our greatest achievement as a community."

Khulekani Moyo, member of the Sivume community, southern Zimbabwe.

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Our current appeal: please donate what you can to help communities in Zimbabwe to restore degraded land with sand dams