Published in February 2026

Dryland areas in southeast Kenya regularly experience erratic rainfall, prolonged dry seasons and depleted water sources. These issues contribute to degraded farm land, making life difficult for those in these areas. Benedetta, a farmer from Kenya, speaks about sand dams and their ability to help her overcome the difficulties that dryland conditions pose.  

53-year-old Benedetta Mwikali is a mother of three children and takes care of four grandchildren; she relies on farming to sustain her and her family. However, the difficulties she faced with farming and having to travel long distances to collect water lead her to join her community's sand dam project:

“I joined the Kavili self-help group (SHG) in 2016 because the trek in search for water left us with little time or energy for farming, or going to school. This is why we sought to build a sand dam in our area.”

Before the project, community members, typically women and girls, would spend hours walking many kilometres to the closest water source, a riverbed with scoop holes. Benedetta explains further:

“The trek to River Athi was around 7km and it provided only dirty water. Women and children walked for miles under the hot sun, carrying heavy jerrycans.”

Consuming contaminated water caused reoccurring waterborne illnesses in the community, affected morale, and meant that money that should've gone towards improving livelihoods had to go towards medication costs instead. Benedetta states that cholera and dysentery were common illnesses, that destabilised her already vulnerable village.

And the community were never guaranteed to retrieve much water at all from the river source. This meant that their limited water had to be used on certain activities, leaving other priorities and activities (such as farming and growing crops) to the wayside. Benedetta explains:

“Many journeys were made only to collect four jerry cans of water which would be used for cooking, cleaning and watering crops. The lack of water left the soil dry. Crops died, leaving us with little food. Livestock also suffered as they were malnourished."

With the help of Africa Sand Dams Foundation (ASDF) and Sand Dams Worldwide, the Kavili SHG was able to build a sand dam to overcome the many struggles due to water scarcity. Since the sand dam was constructed, Benedetta shares:

“I have been able to develop my farm in a very big way. I have planted bananas, papaya, melon, arrow roots, cassava, and I have established a small plot for rearing Azolla feed for my chickens.”

Since her farming has improved, Benedetta has seen her income increase and looks forward to spending any extra money on investments for her farming and her grandchildren. Looking to the future, Benedetta says:

“I have made a total of 80,000 Kenyan Shillings (around £460) up to now. If I get any extra money, I will use it to invest in better tools, improve my home and pay for my grandchildren’s education.”

As part of the project, community members have also been supported with agricultural training provided by ASDF, meaning that farmers gain knowledge about relevant farming practices that can improve their crop production and environment. The community also received Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) training to further reduce water related health problems.

Benedetta had a lot to say about how the sand dam and the trainings have empowered her community on all fronts:

“We have fewer illnesses, our children are healthier, and our overall quality of life has improved... The introduction of sand dams is slowly but surely helping with water scarcity here. With access to water we have improved our farming, which we can now make money from. Children, especially girls, can attend school regularly instead of spending hours fetching water. I am just so happy about this.”

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