May, 2020: Kasioni Community Sand Dam Complete!

Please note, all photos in this report were taken before social distancing recommendations went into effect.

Kasioni, Kenya now has access to a new source of water thanks to your donation. A new sand dam was constructed on a sandy riverbed, which will build up sand to raise the water table and naturally filter water.

"Access to clean water will give me unlimited water access within my home, which will lead to improved levels of cleanliness and regular handwashing, especially in these times of Coronavirus," shared Kitumbi Kitheka, a 65-year-old farmer.

"I am looking forward to improved health in my family and more time created to engage in other income-generating activities as there will be no more long walks in search of water."

We worked with the Kamami Self-Help Group for this project. The members and their families contributed materials and physical labor to complete the project. We trained the group on various skills such as bookkeeping, financial management, project management, group dynamics, and governance. We also conducted a hygiene and sanitation training to teach skills like soapmaking and to help improve behaviors such as handwashing.

When an issue arises concerning the water project, the group members are equipped with the necessary skills to rectify the problem and ensure it works appropriately. However, if the issue is beyond their capabilities, they can contact our team of field officers to assist them.

"This project will change our lives greatly because we will no longer be required to walk for long distances in search of water. Available water is clean and safer compared to the scoop holes we have been relying on before. This will improve our hygiene levels for the better, leading to a more healthy community," said Emily Mbiti.

Sand Dam

The community members collected all of the local materials. Rocks and sand are required for the successful completion of the dam. They also provided labor to support our artisans. The collection of raw construction materials takes longer than the actual construction. For a large sand dam, materials collection can take up to 4 months.

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 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 rebar are used to reinforce the mixture.

Once the foundation is complete, a skeleton of timber is built to hold up the sludge and rocks 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.

This dam measures 37 meters long and 3 meters high and took 750 bags of cement to build.

Sand dam construction was simultaneous to the construction of a hand-dug well, which gives locals a safer method of drawing water. As the sand dam matures and stores more water, more of it will be accessible as drinking water from the well.

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 3 years of rain for this sand dam to reach maximum capacity, however, since sometimes it only rains once a year!

New Knowledge

The field officer in charge of the Nguuku region, Stephen Mwangangi, informed the community members about the planned water, sanitation, and hygiene training in the community during their project construction. The area sub-chief and village administrator were also invited and notified about the training.

The trainer conferred with the field staff about their previous visits to households and interviews with community members to determine which topics the community still could improve upon.

They decided to train on topics including health problems in the community, good and bad hygiene behaviors, how diseases spread and their prevention, choosing sanitation improvements; choosing improved hygiene behaviors; planning for behavioral change, handwashing, and soapmaking.

The attendance was as expected, with most of the community members turning up in good numbers for the training. The venue for this training was at Kasioni Primary School inside a spacious classroom. The weather was sunny for the first 2 days and rained on the third day. The environment was quiet and conducive to learning.

The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Kenya days before the training started. With the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the self-help group members showed a lot of interest in handwashing since it is one of the simplest and cheapest methods of preventing such diseases.

The training on this topic began with a demonstration on how to construct a tippy tap. We used local materials, including 2 fork sticks, a string, and a 5-liter jerrycan to construct the simple handwashing station. The members participated well in this hands-on session and promised to construct one at their homes once they returned.
"The training was very good. We are happy we have learned a lot about hygiene and sanitation. This knowledge will help us to prevent infections like coronavirus, which is emerging, and waterborne diseases, like typhoid," said Mrs. Kitheka.

Next, we led a demonstration on how to make liquid soap. The materials used to make this soap are locally available, and few skills are required. The whole process involved a lot of stirring to ensure all of the materials mixed well, and quality soap was obtained at the final stage. All of the participants took a turn in the stirring of the liquid soap. They were patient enough until the final product was obtained.

During the stirring of the soap, one of the members led the rest in singing a Kamba traditional song that motivated them and encouraged them to put more effort into all of the activities that they do together as a group. This made the topic very interesting.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

March, 2020: Kasioni Community sand dam underway!

People travel long distances just to get dirty water from open holes in the riverbed. This is making the families of Kasioni Community sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

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