Published in July 2025

The Veolia Foundation are supporting Sand Dams Worldwide (SDW) to enable a community in rural Ukambani (southeast Kenya) to build a sand dam and improve their water security.

The sand dam will be constructed with the support of the Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF), SDW's long-term strategic partner, and will provide water for over 2,000 people living in Machakos, Makueni, and Kitui counties.

About Ukambani

In this semi-arid area, food and water shortages are common. About 44% of the population lives below the poverty line, compared to 38% nationally, and the rainy seasons are increasingly irregular and unpredictable.

About sand dams

Sand dams are a sustainable, cost-effective nature-based rainwater harvesting technology that can capture up to 40 million litres of water, replenishing every rainy season. That water is stored safe from disease and evaporation within the sand. It’s easily extractable via pipework connected to hand-pumps and taps, with one sand dam providing enough year-round water for over 1,000 people. For more information about how sand dams work, watch this short animation: 

Sand dams play a significant role in mitigating the effects of climate change, including reversing land degradation. They raise groundwater levels through slowing down the rate of run-off and capturing rainwater that would otherwise be lost as run-off, while allowing most water to continue downstream. The slowing down of water runoff allows water to infiltrate the soil, resulting in vegetation recovery, reduced erosion and restored degraded land and regreened environments.

While SDW’s work often starts with a sand dam, it’s certainly not where it ends. Once water and time are available, a wealth of opportunities arise. The charity also works through partners (like ASDF) to advise communities on improved climate-smart agriculture techniques, such as terracing, developing seed banks and the planting of drought-resistant crops and trees; empowering families to grow enough food to eat, store and sell in the face of climate change and drought.

For more information about our sand dam project with the Veolia Foundation, please click here.

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Please donate what you can to transform lives and land with sand dams and clean water.