Yanzui Maithya Community A

Project Status

Project Type: Sand Dam

Regional Program: Southeastern Kenya WaSH Program

Impact: 300 Served

Project Phase: In Service - Dec 2025

Functionality Status: Functional

Project Features

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In the Yanzui Maithya Community, 2,000 people make a long and dangerous trek to collect water every day. Their current water sources, though they provide clean water, are far away—over a two-mile round trip!

Field Officer Jefferson Mutie shared, "This is one of the steepest areas around Mwingi where community members walk for almost two kilometers (over a mile!) on steep lands to fetch water. It is such a dangerous and strenuous trek that if one isn't careful, they might end up landing and injuring their backs. An average adult can carry a 20-liter jerrycan, and on the way, they have to make several stopovers to enable them to arrive safely."

Imagine an adult carrying forty-four pounds of water, if not more, and having to stop often to make it the mile home. Now imagine being sixteen, trying to manage school and family expectations, and making the same journey with a forty-four-pound burden at least once a day.

It's an exhausting way to live, but most, like sixteen-year-old Mary, have no other option.

Mary carries two water containers to fill up and bring home.

As you can see, Mary smiles as she carries her jerrycans to the waterpoint to fill. Her life has no doubt taught her to be strong in ways we can't understand, but her journey home is going to be much more difficult.

"The terrain of the water source makes life very hard. I have to trek carefully and take a lot of time coming back, as it is very steep and dangerous at the same time. A little trip from the hill can land one next to the waterpoint if they aren't careful," Mary shared.

Mary shared, "I feel so bad. I have to push myself so hard, at least to have time to fetch water after school, leaving my friends without even catching up."

As a sixteen-year-old girl, Mary already faces many obstacles to receiving an education. It's an uphill battle, and her daily journey to ease some of the water crisis makes it that much harder.

"I am obliged to leave school with my head focused on fetching water. This makes my concentration in class to be lowered, especially during the evening lesson as I watch the sun go away," she added.

"The sand dam will revolutionize water availability for the entire community. During the rainy season, it will capture and store water in the sand, creating a reliable, year-round water source. No longer will community members have to trek long distances to fetch water. This newfound accessibility will reduce the time and physical burden on women and children, allowing them to focus on education, work, and other productive activities," expressed Jefferson.

Mary has big dreams for her future, and with reliable water access, she can be one step closer to achieving them! A sand dam will not only create a waterpoint near her community but also rejuvenate the landscape and create a healthier environment.

"I am studying very hard to become a doctor one day and treat people from my village and around the world," concluded Mary.

Mary carries her water home.

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

December, 2025: Yanzui Maithya Community Sand Dam Complete!

Yanzui Maithya 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 also built a new protected dug well with a hand pump adjacent to the sand dam, providing the community with a safer method to draw the drinking water supplied by the dam.

"I will easily fetch water from this source for drinking, cooking, and even conducting hygiene duties. My children can now easily fetch water here and focus on their classwork or homework rather than spending their time and energy trekking the steep hill and queuing for water for hours. They will now be focusing on their studies, improving their performance with the hope of securing a better future [for] themselves. This water source is not only a source of water but also hope and growth," shared Musyimi Mwangangi, a 61-year-old farmer in the community.

Musyimi Mwangangi.

"My cattle will easily drink water from this water point rather than skipping some days or spending a lot of energy walking up the steep hill. This will improve their health and yield, thus fetching me more money through the sale of meat and milk. We are also planning on setting up a vegetable plot not only for subsistence purposes but also income generation because we will be selling the produce to fellow community members," he celebrated.

Sand Dam Construction

The members of Yanzui Maithya 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 40 meters long and 4 meters high, and required 961 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!

Community Education

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

As we’ve worked with this Self-Help Group in the past, we asked them about the subjects they needed refresher training on.

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.

Learning to make soap.

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

"This is one of the trainings that has helped us a lot in terms of disease prevention and living healthy. If it were not for it, then I think we [would have] a sick community now. We’ve been able to reduce disease incidences through hygienic practices like water treatment, having sanitation infrastructures, and proper food handling, among other things," said Boniface Nzengu, the 46-year-old farmer and Chairman of the Water User Committee.

Boniface Nzengu.

"The new members have also benefited, and I’m sure they’ll implement what was taught and improve their lives. The skill of soap making remains valuable and beneficial in the life of every member of this group. It will help us generate more income," Boniface continued.

Thank you for making all of this possible!

October, 2025: Exciting Progress in Yanzui Maithya Community!

We’re thrilled to share that, thanks to your generous support, significant change is coming for Mary and the entire Yanzui Maithya 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 Yanzui Maithya!

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!

Yanzui Maithya Community A

Project Status

Community Profile