Syandu Community A

Project Status

Project Type: Sand Dam

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 300 Served

Project Phase: Under Construction
Estimated Install Date (?): 2025

Project Features

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The Syandu Community is in a semi-arid region of Southeast Kenya. The 3,000 people living here deal with a daily water crisis. They struggle to collect sufficient water to meet their daily needs because drought is common, and the area is mostly bare, rocky, and dusty.

Community members mostly rely on faraway scoop holes dug into dry river beds for their daily water. Reaching the water source consumes much of their daily time and energy. They are also wide open to contamination, and as a result, people often report suffering from water-related illnesses after consuming the water.

Walking to collect water.

"Getting water from the current water points is tiresome because they are located far away, which leaves little time and effort to focus on activities like conducting household chores, cultivating their lands, or taking care of their cattle. Hygiene and sanitation have severely been affected because residents barely get enough water for cooking or drinking, let alone performing hygiene duties. The financial status of the community members has been negatively impacted by the water scarcity because it is very difficult to conduct farming without water," shared Field Officer Alex Koech.

Doreen Naomi.

Twenty-five-year-old farmer Doreen Naomi is familiar with the daily challenge of finding enough water. It can sometimes take her up to two hours per trip, which limits her to only two visits per day, making water scarce for her family.

"Water is life; without water, life is very difficult. It is difficult to take care of my children when there is no water for my crops, which makes it hard to feed them or [pay] school fees. Water is crucial for us because we need it for drinking, cooking, irrigating our crops, and also for our animals," said Doreen.

It can also become dangerous to collect water from the scoop holes. The whole community relies on them, so they get deeper and deeper as people dig down to find water. Especially during the drought season. Eventually the holes get so deep people must stand in them to collect water, risking it all caving in on top of them.

"The water source is located very far away through bushes, and walking alone is a risk. We experience several months of drought, and many people depend on this source. Sometimes, one has to wait for water to accumulate in the scoop hole, which takes longer during the drought period because many people depend on the scoop hole, which diminishes in quantity as the drought progresses."

Doreen collects water from a scoop hole.

Doreen needs access to a closer waterpoint that can provide sufficient water to meet her daily needs while still allowing her the time and energy to attend to her crops and her family's livelihood. She needs water she can rely on to meet her family's needs without stealing their health.

Solving the water crisis in this community will require a multifaceted system that will work together to create a sustainable water source that will serve this community for years to come.

Steps Toward a Solution

Our technical experts worked with the local community to identify the most effective solution to their water crisis. Together, they decided to construct a sand dam and dug well.

Sand Dam
Sand dams are sought-after, climate-smart, and lasting water solutions providing hope and resilience to communities in arid Southeastern Kenya. Think of them like giant sandboxes constructed in seasonal rivers that would typically quickly dry up after the rainy season. Instead of holding water like traditional dams, they collect sand and silt.

When infrequent rains do come, these dams catch a percentage of the river's flow, letting most of the water continue downstream to other communities. But here's the magic: the sand they collect acts like a natural filter, holding onto water long after the river's gone dry. Then, wells are constructed nearby, creating a reliable water source even during the driest times.

And the benefits don't stop there! In communities impacted by climate change, sand dams replenish groundwater and prevent soil erosion. Even during severe droughts, the consistent water supply from these sand dams allows farmers to thrive, giving way for enough food not only for their families but also to sell in local markets.

The most remarkable aspect of sand dams is how they involve the local community every step of the way, giving them a sense of ownership and pride in solving their own water shortage and managing their own water resources.

This sand dam will be connected to a dug well to make the water more accessible.

Community Education & Ownership
Hygiene and sanitation training are integral to our water projects. Training is tailored to each community's specific needs and includes key topics such as proper water handling, improved hygiene practices, disease transmission prevention, and care of the new water point. Safe water and improved hygiene habits foster a healthier future for everyone in the community. Encouraged and supported by the guidance of our team, a water user committee representative of the community's diverse members assumes responsibility for maintaining the water point, often gathering fees to ensure its upkeep.

Project Updates

July, 2025: Syandu Community Sand Dam Complete!

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

"The new waterpoint will save my parents time and energy. Instead of spending hours fetching water, they can now focus on farming and taking care of the home. They will be able to grow vegetables, water the fruit trees, and even rear animals better. This will help our family have more food and income," said 17-year-old Caleb.

Caleb.

"With water available, I will have more time to study instead of helping fetch water. I will also be healthier because we will have clean water to drink and use at home. When I am not tired or sick, I can concentrate better in class and improve my performance. This water project gives me a better chance to succeed in school and reach my goals," he continued.

Sand Dam Construction

The members of the Kanywa Mbithi Self-Help Group collected all of the local materials, like rocks and sand, required to complete the dam. 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 to support our artisans with a tremendous amount of physical labor throughout the project.

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

Once the plans were approved, we established a firm base for the sand dam wall. Usually, this requires the community to dig all the way down to the bedrock beneath the river channel. In the absence of good bedrock, we excavate to a depth at which the ground is compact enough to stop seepage.

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

Once the foundation was complete, we built a timber skeleton to hold the structure above ground level. 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 81 meters long and 4 meters high, taking 1690 bags of cement.

When the rains come, sand and silt will be carried down the dry riverbed and build up behind the dam wall. This reservoir of sand acts as a giant natural filter, and allows rainwater to seep into the ground and raise the water table. 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 sand dam is already at work building up water as it rains!

Community Education

Our trainer worked with the field staff and community members to determine which topics the community could improve upon.

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

We covered health problems in the community, good and bad hygiene habits, and the prevention of disease. Finally, we covered natural resource management as well as the operation and maintenance of the sand dam.

"This is a very useful training for all. The seasonal calendar touched all the health problems that we face and highlighted prevention measures that one can take. This will help us greatly in ensuring that we’re a disease-free community," shared 48-year-old farmer and Chairperson of the Water User Committee, Lucy Mawia.

Lucy Mawia.

"We have learned that it is very crucial to have sanitation infrastructures to help support maintaining good hygienic practices. This way, a lot of diseases will be prevented. We will implement what [we] have been trained in our homes, and this will help our neighbours emulate good behaviours from us," Lucy continued.

"We have learned new skills of soap and latrine disinfectant making. Skills that will help us generate income and improve living standards, and as a group, we will be able to maybe start a project that will benefit all of us."

Thank you for making all of this possible!

May, 2025: Exciting Progress in Syandu Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for Doreen and the entire Syandu Community. Construction has begun on the sand dam project, bringing them one step closer to having clean, reliable water.

But that's not all—during construction, we’re also providing vital health training. These sessions equip the community with essential hygiene practices, ensuring that the benefits of clean water extend to lasting health improvements.

We’re so grateful for your role in making this possible. Stay tuned for more updates—soon, we’ll be celebrating the arrival of safe water in the Syandu Community!

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!

Syandu Community A

Project Status

Community Profile