Kanyoeni Community 2A

Project Status

Project Type: Sand Dam

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 350 Served

Project Phase: In Service - Mar 2024

Functionality Status: Functional

Project Features

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Although there is a protected hand-dug well in Kanyoeni, many of the people in the community's farthest reaches still fetch their water from scoop holes dug into the earth. We installed a sand dam and shallow well in this community in 2022, but for about 75% of Kanyoeni's people, the journey to clean water is still far too long.

The 350 people who live here are divided by distance. Those living close to the new water point can drink freely, cook easily, clean their homes, irrigate their crops, sell their produce, and live comfortably. Those far away still struggle with these everyday tasks - all because they have to walk kilometers each way to fetch water for their households.

“Households with travel times greater than 30 minutes have been shown to collect progressively less water. Limited water availability may also reduce the amount of water that is used for hygiene in the household.” (The Relationship between Distance to Water Source and Moderate-to-Severe Diarrhea in the Global Enterics Multi-Center Study in Kenya, 2008–2011) - American Journal of Tropical Science and Medicine

What makes matters significantly worse is the current (as of November 2022) drought affecting the Horn of Africa. This region hasn't seen any rain in three years, and water is becoming harder and harder to find.

"The steep and long terrain in the area makes fetching water a difficult task," said 28-year-old farmer Manzi Ngai (pictured above). "My family has to carry water on their back[s] while walking up the steep hill, which makes them exhausted. I am also unable to care for my children because [my] crops and vegetables cannot thrive under the adverse dry climate."

It's easy to see why people might choose to forego the longer journey to the sand dam's well when they could significantly shorten their daily walking time over hilly terrain instead. But the water from the scoop holes is open to contamination, and drinking it makes people sick—especially children, whose immune systems are not as strong.

"I have to carry water every day to the distant school, and I am often forced to remain at home when I have no water to carry to school," said 16-year-old Mukami M. (pictured above starting the arduous trek back home from the faraway well). "The jerrycans we use are open and accumulate dust during the day, further contaminating the water. I have fallen sick multiple times, like last term, when I developed stomachaches and had to take traditional herbs and salt acquired by [my] parents."

The people of Kanyoeni need a water source closer to home so they can recover both financially and physically from the harsh effects of water scarcity.

What We Can Do:

Our main entry point into the community is the Self-Help Group, which comprises households working together to address water and food scarcity in their region. These members will be our hands and feet in constructing water projects and spreading the message of good hygiene and sanitation to everyone.

Sand Dam

After the community picked the ideal 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 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 this sand dam, a hand-dug well will be installed to give community members an easy, safe way to access that water.

Building this sand dam and the well in this community will help bring clean water closer to the many people living here.

Training

These community members currently do their best to practice good hygiene and sanitation, but their severe lack of water has significantly hindered reaching their fullest potential.

We will hold hygiene and sanitation training sessions with the Self-Help Group and other community members to teach essential hygiene practices and daily habits to establish at the personal, household, and community level. This training will help to ensure that participants have the knowledge they need to make the most out of their new water point as soon as the water is flowing.

One of the most important topics we plan to cover is handling, storage, and water treatment. Having a clean water source will be extremely helpful, but it is useless if water gets contaminated when it is consumed. We will also emphasize the importance of handwashing.

The community and we firmly believe that all of these components will work together to improve living standards here, which will help to unlock the potential for these community members to live better, healthier lives.

We typically work with self-help groups for 3 to 5 years on multiple water projects. We will conduct follow-up visits and refresher training during this period and remain in contact with the group after all of the projects are completed to support their efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene.

Project Updates

March, 2024: Kanyoeni Community Sand Dam Complete!

Kanyoeni Community, Kenya, now has access to a new water source, thanks to your donation! We constructed a new sand dam on the riverbed, which will build up sand to raise the water table and naturally filter water over time. We also built a new hand-dug well with a hand pump adjacent to the sand dam, providing the community with a safer method to draw drinking water supplied by the dam.

"This water point will ensure we have enough water in our community. I will be able to easily draw water for cooking or drinking here at home because this water point is close to my home. I will also no longer be exposed to infections like typhoid, dysentery, or amoeba," said 34-year-old farmer Mukiti Kasyoka.

"I will also be able to concentrate on preparing my land because I will not be spending a lot of time fetching water. I will also be planting crops I can sell to other community members and pay school fees for my children," she continued.

Mukiti.

"My children will no longer spend their free time walking several kilometers in search of water and use that energy on focusing on their studies. This water point enables my children to live a better life because there is enough water for all of us. My children can improve their hygiene, have a healthy diet, and get enough clean water for drinking, which does not expose them to water-related infections," she concluded.

Sand Dam Construction Process

The members of Kyeni Kya Kanyoeni SHG Self-Help Group collected all the local materials required to complete the dam, like rocks and sand. The collection of raw materials takes longer than the actual construction, lasting up to four months for a large sand dam. The group also dedicated their time and energy to support our artisans with physical labor throughout the project.

First, our team drew siting and technical designs and presented them to the Water Resources Management Authority. We also sent a survey to the National Environment Management Authority for approval before we began construction.

Construction begins.

Once the plans were approved, we established firm bedrock at the base of the sand dam wall. In the absence of good bedrock, we excavate to a depth at which the ground is compact enough to stop seepage.

Next, we mixed and heaped mortar (a mixture of sand, cement, and water) into the foundation, followed by rocks once there was enough mortar. We then used barbed wire and rebar to reinforce the mixture.

Building the foundation.

Once the foundation was complete, we built a timber skeleton to hold the sludge and rocks above ground level. Once our first layer dried, we repeated the process until reaching a sufficient height, width, and length.

Finally, we dismantled the vertical timber beams and left the dam to cure. This dam measures 51 meters long and 3 meters high and took 1336 bags of cement to build.

Continuing construction.

The dam has collected some rainwater already and will continue to build up sand and store water. With this water, the surrounding landscape will become lush and fertile, and the well will provide drinking water to the community. It could take up to three years of rain for this sand dam to reach maximum capacity because, in this region, sometimes it only rains once a year!

The completed dam with water being collected.

"The community members are hardworking and practice unity because they worked together during the construction period. They handled various challenges together and managed to forge ahead even during difficult times," said Field Officer Alex Koech.

New Knowledge

As we've worked with this Self-Help Group in the past, we conferred with them about the subjects on which they most needed refresher training.

Training.

Trainer Veronica Matolo said, "During this training, it was noted that several members really benefited from the previous hygiene and sanitation training and were doing well since they had implemented the sanitation infrastructures and were practicing hygienic behaviors. However, a follow-up will be important to ensure the new members adopt the training content. The participants seemed interested and ready for change through asking questions and active participation."

We trained the group on various skills, including bookkeeping, financial management, project management, group dynamics, and governance. We also conducted hygiene and sanitation training to teach skills like soap- and detergent-making and improve behaviors such as handwashing.

We also touched on health problems in the community, good and bad hygiene behaviors, the spread and prevention of disease, and sanitation improvements. We covered natural resource management and the operations and maintenance of the well.

John Mutua Mutamba, Chairperson of the Water User Committee.

"The skill of soap and disinfectant making will continue to help us generate income and improve living standards at home. The new members have benefited a lot, and the current members will continue sharing the skill with other community members who would like to know about the craft," shared John Mutua Mutambu, the chairperson of the Water User Committee.

Conclusion

This project required a substantial collaboration between our staff, our in-country teams, and the community members. When an issue arises concerning the sand dam, 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 their local field officers to assist them.

Also, we will continue to offer them unmatchable support as a part of our monitoring and maintenance program. We walk with each community, problem-solving together when they face challenges with functionality, seasonality, or water quality. Together, all these components help us strive for enduring access to reliable, clean, and safe water for this community.

With your contribution, one more piece has been added to a large puzzle of water projects. In Kenya, Uganda, and Sierra Leone, we're working toward complete coverage. That means reliable, maintained water sources within a 30-minute round trip for each community, household, school, and health center. With this in mind, search through our upcoming projects to see which community you can help next!

Thank you for making all of this possible!

February, 2024: Kanyoeni Community Sand Dam Underway!

The lack of adequate water in Kanyoeni Community costs people time, energy, and health every single day. Clean water scarcity contributes to community instability and diminishes individuals’ personal progress.

But thanks to your recent generosity, things will soon improve here. We are now working to install a reliable water point and improve hygiene standards. We look forward to sharing inspiring news in the near future!

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!