Project Status



Project Type:  Sand Dam

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Mar 2019

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/12/2024

Project Features


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Munyuni Village is in Mwingi, which is more than 300 kilometers away from our office. Based on the distance involved, we had to spend the night at Mwingi Town and wake up early in the morning to visit Munyuni. It is found in a peaceful, rural setting with steep slopes and narrow footpaths. The area is very dry with sparse vegetation. Most of the locals have built houses made of bricks and iron sheets.

The people of Munyuni depend on open, dirty water sources to meet their drinking, cooking, and cleaning needs. They have to walk long distances to the Ikuyuni River, so most families have invested in donkeys. The river appears dry at first glance, but people dig holes in the sandy riverbed until water fills the bottom. These holes are left open overnight and sate the thirst of wild animals, too.

The community population of 689 is too high for such little water, so the riverbed is often overcrowded. The seasonal nature of the scoop holes means water sometimes gets used up by the end of the day, forcing locals to wake up early in the morning so as to get enough water.

"We have suffered for many years as residents of Munyuni Village because of perennial water shortages. The available water is from river scoop holes and is sometimes colored which has led to many cases of stomach problems being reported by locals after using the water. As a community, we have been brought together by water challenges and are now ready to bring our unity of strength by working together in implementing water projects in our village," said Nziu Munyu Self-Help Group member Angelina Nzuna.

Community members practice a variety of activities to sustain their families. Men are the main family workforce in bringing food to the table. 81% of people in this community depend on casual labor, 14% on farming, and 5% on business activities to earn money.

The community also needs support for personal hygiene and household cleanliness. Though the severe water shortage forces people to sacrifice when it comes to cleaning, there is also a need for new knowledge and other tools for people to stay healthy. Not every family has a pit latrine, and only a few have handwashing stations.

"Our levels of hygiene and sanitation in Munyuni Village are below average because we lack enough water supply. This makes our efforts to keep high levels of cleanliness difficult," continued Mrs. Nzuna.

"By working together on community water projects, we hope to collectively work on the projects and bring water close to everyone in our locality, which will contribute towards improved levels of hygiene and sanitation."

What we can do:

Our main entry point into Munyuni Community has been the Nziu Munyu Self-Help Group, which is comprised of local farming households that are working together to address water and food scarcity in their region. These members will be our hands and feet in both constructing water projects and spreading the message of good hygiene and sanitation to everyone.

Training

Our trainers visited households when they were in Munyuni to interview family members and observe their environment. These visits help our trainers build a pertinent training schedule for this community.

A variety of activities are planned that will get participants involved in learning about the importance of latrines, handwashing stations, dish racks, and water treatment.

Sand Dam

Building this sand dam at a spot fon the Nziuni River in Munyuni will bring water closer to hundreds of people. After the community picked the spot, our technical team went in and proved the viability by finding a good foundation of bedrock. Now, our engineers are busy drawing up the blueprints. We estimate the dam will be 26.55 meters long and 6.2 meters high.

We are unified with this community to address the water shortage. As more sand dams are built, the environment will continue to transform. As the sand dams mature and build up more sand, the water tables will rise. Along with these sand dams, hand-dug wells (check out the hand-dug well being installed next to this dam) will be installed to give locals a good, safe way to access that water.

With these projects, clean water will be brought closer to hundreds living in this region.

Project Updates


May, 2020: COVID-19 Prevention Training Update at Munyuni Community

Our teams are working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us in our fight against the virus while maintaining access to clean, reliable water.

We are carrying out awareness and prevention trainings on the virus in every community we serve. Very often, our teams are the first (and only) to bring news and information of the virus to rural communities like Munyuni, Kenya.

We trained community members on the symptoms, transmission routes, and prevention of COVID-19.

Due to public gathering concerns, we worked with trusted community leaders to gather a select group of community members who would then relay the information learned to the rest of their family and friends.

We covered essential hygiene lessons:

- Demonstrations on how to build a simple handwashing station

- Proper handwashing technique

- The importance of using soap and clean water for handwashing

- Cleaning and disinfecting commonly touched surfaces including at the water point.

We covered COVID-19-specific guidance in line with national and international standards:

- Information on the symptoms and transmission routes of COVID-19

- What social distancing is and how to practice it

- How to cough into an elbow

- Alternative ways to greet people without handshakes, fist bumps, etc.

- How to make and properly wear a facemask.

During training, we installed a new handwashing station with soap near the community’s water point,

Due to the rampant spread of misinformation about COVID-19, we also dedicated time to a question and answer session to help debunk rumors about the disease and provide extra information where needed.

Water access, sanitation, and hygiene are at the crux of disease prevention.

You can directly support our work on the frontlines of COVID-19 prevention in all of the communities we serve while maintaining their access to safe, clean, and reliable water.




November, 2019: Giving Update: Munyuni Community Sand Dam

A year ago, your generous donation helped Munyuni Community in Kenya access clean water.

There’s an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Munyuni. Month after month, their giving supports ongoing sustainability programs that help this community maintain access to safe, reliable water. Read more…




April, 2019: Munyuni Community Sand Dam Complete

Munyuni Community, Kenya now has a new source of water thanks to your donation. A sand dam was constructed on the riverbed, which will build up sand to raise the water table and naturally filter water. Community members also attended hygiene and sanitation training, and plan to share what they learned with their families and neighbors.

New Knowledge

Our training officer worked with the team to arrange for a three-day Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) training. This kind of training helps identify existing health issues and the bad practices causing them so that the community can brainstorm potential solutions. Once they agree, they're in a good place to draft an action plan to see these new practices adopted in each household.

The participation level of the community members was very high as they were very active throughout the training. There were many questions asked, which was a clear indication that the attendees were interested in the topics. Men were more active than women, and were always eager to volunteer for demonstrations. Additionally, they portrayed the zeal to learn as they kept requesting for an extension of the training.

There were several topics covered over the three days, not limited to:

- mapping the community


- calculating the cost of a good latrine vs. the cost of treating diseases that result from improper waste disposal
- how germs spread
- choosing the barriers
- action plan
- electing a sanitation committee
- how to make soap

A part of mapping the community was actually getting up from our seats and touring Munyuni. People identified the places where there's the most activity, along with areas where people are going to the bathroom. We stopped at these areas and discussed how open defecation is contaminating water sources, food, and many other things. This was a very impactful activity because everyone realized how their drinking water gets contaminated and why they're getting sick.

The group stopped during the community tour and talked about how easily water can get contaminated.

The following is 60-year-old Mary Samson's testimonial about what she learned:

This training has been very inspirational and growth-enhancing to us. We have learned a lot on hygiene and sanitation and we intend to adopt all the new ways taught. It's vital for every homestead to have a functional latrine, to protect our water sources, and caring for our health by treating water - this saves us the money that would be used on treatment.

The CLTS training has also enlightened us on effective ways of preventing the spread of diseases, thus reducing the death rates that are heightened by waterborne diseases. Poverty rates will also reduce as the money spent on treatment at hospitals will be channeled to other income-generating projects. It has been a very beneficial training and I am personally very grateful for it. I will construct a latrine in my compound but near the roadside so that passers-by can utilize it to avoid open defecation.

Mary Samson

The entire group was inspired by Mary's willingness to construct a public latrine by the road, and has vowed to support her as she does so.

Sand Dam

Construction for this huge sand dam was successful!

"We are very impressed that the water point has already harnessed gallons of fresh water which will be used by the community members. As of now, the group members are already planning to conduct farm projects which will help us reap maximum benefits... We would like to express immense gratitude towards the construction of the project in our community," said Mary Samson.

"The distance we covered initially has reduced tremendously and less time is expended on fetching water."

The Process:

The community members collected all of the local materials like rocks and sand that were required for successful completion of the dam. They also provided unskilled labor to support our artisans. The collection of raw construction materials takes longer than the actual construction. For a super large sand dam, materials collection could take up to four months.

While community members delivered and and stones to the construction site, we provided cement, lumber, metal, and tools.

Siting and technical designs were drawn and presented to the Water Resources Management Authority and a survey sent to the National Environment Management Authority for approval before construction started. Once approved, we established a firm bedrock at the base of the sand dam wall. In the absence of good bedrock, excavation is done up to a depth at which the technical team is satisfied that the ground is firm enough to stop seepage.

Then mortar (a mixture of sand, cement, and water) is mixed and heaped into the foundation. Rocks are heaped into the mortar once there is enough to hold. Barbed wire and twisted bar are used to reinforce the mixture. Once the foundation is complete, a skeleton of timber is built to hold the sludge and rocks up above ground level. The process is then repeated until a sufficient height, width and length are built up. The vertical timber beams are dismantled and the dam is left to cure.

As soon as it rains, the dam will begin to build up sand and store water. With this water, the surrounding landscape will become lush and fertile.

It could take up to three years of rain (because sometimes it only rains once a year!) for this sand dam to reach maximum capacity. It is 26.55 meters long and 6.20 meters high and took 870 bags of cement to build.

Sand dam construction was undertaken simultaneously with the construction of a hand-dug well that will give community members a safe method of drawing water. As the sand dam matures and stores more sand, a huge supply of water will be available for drinking from the adjacent hand-dug well.

Thank You for making all of this possible!




February, 2019: Munyuni Community Sand Dam Project Underway

A severe clean water shortage in Munyuni Community drains people’s time, energy, and health. People walk miles just to find water. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a water point nearby and much more.

Get to know this community through the introduction and pictures we’ve posted, and read about this water, sanitation and hygiene project. We look forward to reaching out with more good news!




Project Photos


Project Type

Sand dams are huge, impressive structures built into the riverbeds of seasonal rivers (rivers that disappear every year during dry seasons). Instead of holding back a reservoir of water like a traditional dam would, sand dams accumulate a reservoir of silt and sand. Once the rain comes, the sand will capture 1-3% of the river’s flow, allowing most of the water to pass over. Then, we construct shallow wells on the riverbank to provide water even when the river has dried up, thanks to new groundwater reserves. Learn more here!


Giving Update: Munyuni Community Sand Dam

October, 2019

A year ago, your generous donation helped Munyuni Community in Kenya access clean water – creating a life-changing moment for Sarah Kavungwa. Thank you!

Keeping The Water Promise

There's an incredible community of monthly donors who have come alongside you in supporting clean water in Munyuni Community 1A.

This giving community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Munyuni Community 1A maintain access to safe, reliable water. Together, they keep The Water Promise.

We’re confident you'll love joining this world-changing group committed to sustainability!

People in Munyuni community are enjoying an unlimited clean water supply from the sand dam and hand-dug well constructed a year ago. Locals no longer walk for more than 3 kilometers with donkeys to neighboring Ilalambyu in search of water for household use.

"We are no longer walking for long distances in search of water for use in our homes since the water project has been providing us with clean drinking water. This water point is the main provider of water in the whole village currently and we are happy to have it," said Pauline Musingo.

The water project holds huge amounts of water and the locals are very happy accessing water from the facility with much ease as compared to the past.

"Fetching water has now become easier for the last year since the water point is found within the village at a stone's throw distance. The unlimited availability of clean water from the water project has solved most of the water-related challenges experienced in our locality," said Sarah Kuvungwa, a local farmer who uses the water point.

"We are planning to establish more tree nurseries using the available water and nurture many tree seedlings for planting in the oncoming rainy season."

The self-help group that constructed the dam and well are charging a fee for collecting water, which is helping them grow the financial ability of their group. Livestock within the community are healthier since they can easily access water from the village after grazing in the fields.

Community members have had more time available to pursue personal activities as they are no longer spending much of their time looking for water which is now always available from the water project.


Navigating through intense dry spells, performing preventative maintenance, conducting quality repairs when needed and continuing to assist community leaders to manage water points are all normal parts of keeping projects sustainable. The Water Promise community supports ongoing sustainability programs that help Munyuni Community 1A maintain access to safe, reliable water.

We’d love for you to join this world-changing group committed to sustainability.

The most impactful way to continue your support of Munyuni Community 1A – and hundreds of other places just like this – is by joining our community of monthly givers.

Your monthly giving will help provide clean water, every month... keeping The Water Promise.


Contributors

Project Underwriter - Unika Stenhus
State of Washington
2 individual donor(s)