March, 2021: King'ethesyoni Community Sand Dam Complete!

King'ethesyoni, 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.

We worked with the Katambu Self-Help Group for this project. The members and their families contributed materials and physical labor to complete the project. In addition, they were trained 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.

"We are happy to have been beneficiaries of this amazing water project. The project will help me have enough clean water at home, which will lead to improved hygiene and sanitation levels. It will also provide enough water for use at home for my family and children without the big struggle experienced before," said Gideon Nguli.

"I am planning to start irrigation farming on a large scale because water is available unlimitedly. I will be growing vegetables for my family and to sell in the nearby markets, which will earn me income to sustain my family needs."

Sand Dam

The community members collected all of the local materials like rocks and sand that were 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 could 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 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 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.

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. To see that hand-dug well, click here.

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!

"I am happy that clean water has been brought close to us through this water project. It will now be available from a stone's throw distance. There will be no more struggles of walking for long distances with donkeys searching for water from river scoop holes, which was not always clean. I look forward to a more healthy and smooth life without many water struggles," said Agnes Ngandi.

"Through the availability of enough water from this water project, I will always use my free time to draw water and use it to plant more fruit trees in our home farm and irrigate using the available water resources. It will be good because, after maturity, the fruits will be good for our consumption and to sell to others."

New Knowledge

All Katambu Self-Help Group members were informed of the need for hygiene and sanitation training after completing their sand dam's and shallow well's construction. Group members were required to attend the training alongside other interested community members. Through the area Field Officer Paul Musau and the WASH Officer Veronica MAtolo, the community was notified of the training date.

The training was held at one of the self-help group member's homesteads, Gideon Nguli. It was chosen for its central location, making it easily accessible to all with the availability of enough outdoor space to accommodate all the group members.

The attendance was as expected. Out of a possible 18 community group members, 17 of them consistently turned up for the community event. This was attributed to the timely communication before the training date, with all members being able to receive the communication in good time.

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

Tippy tap construction was one of the more notable topics during the training. Members said it was interesting because it is an easy infrastructure to construct that is affordable to all since it does not require any implementation. People were encouraged to go home and make their own handwashing stations.

"This training has imparted us with enough knowledge on our daily behaviors and how they affect us. For instance, washing fruits with running water has always been taken for granted, contributing to the transmission of diseases. Still, since we have learned the right way of washing them, we will start the practice and prevent disease transmission," said Ndana Kalele.

Handwashing demonstration

"We will start generating income from soap-making and improve meeting our basic needs at home. The knowledge on handwashing will also be critical during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic as it will help prevent the spread of the virus."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

January, 2021: King'ethesyoni community sand dam underway!

Dirty water from open scoop holes is making people in King'ethesyoni, Kenya sick. Thanks to your generosity, we’re working to install a clean water point and much more.

Get to know this 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 news of success!