Kaliani community members have had a constant supply of water throughout the year since the construction of the sand dam and hand-dug shallow well system. On our team's most recent visit there, community members welcomed us with joy because they were very excited about the project.
"My life has changed for the best in the past year. The construction work was very exhausting but the fruits are very sweet," said Caroline Ndunge, a local farmer.
"Accessing the water source now is very easy, I do not have to walk for very long to access water and I spend very little time fetching water."
The environment has improved greatly due to the availability of water. It is very serene, and the vegetation has changed greatly.
"I am so happy about the change. Through this project, I bought a dairy cow and I plan to start selling milk. Our livestock can access water easily, we don't have to walk for very long distances," Mrs. Ndunge added.
Community members can engage in farming easily as a result of the water harvested by the sand dam. Farming practices are progressing well with a large number of the population owning a water pumping system. At the time of our visit, it was a dry season but the area looked very wet, green, and productive because their sand dam had harvested gallons of water during the rainy period.
"In the past, this river used to flow only during the rainy seasons and after that, the water table would decrease such that we would have to dig very deep scoop-holes to access it," said Rosina Mutinda.
"The project has really helped us because now, we can farm and perform our household activities on time. We have time for income-generating activities such as farming and we also have enough food."
Hygiene and sanitation levels have improved because of the availability of water in the area.
"Through a committee established in our group we noted 90% improvement on hygiene and sanitation practices such as the presence of tippy taps erected near the latrines of all members, garbage pits for proper waste disposal, dishracks, and clotheslines," said Ms. Mutinda.