Parents and grandparents universally hope for a brighter future for their children and grandchildren. This desire to provide for the next generation, despite the daily hardships they face, is keenly felt across the rural communities that we work with in the drylands of eastern and southern Africa.

These are regions with an increasingly harsh climate, ravaged by intense droughts and unpredictable rains, where the lives of every generation – young and old - are dominated by the daily need to access water for drinking and basic washing. Droughts and the effects of climate change mean widespread failure of crops, leading to extreme poverty for millions who rely on agriculture for their livelihoods.

Sand Dams Worldwide are supporting people in drylands to escape this cycle of poverty. Through their own amazing efforts in undertaking sand dam projects, families are improving their lives with access to safe, clean water. Watch here how sand dams work:

Released from the daily ordeal of travelling miles to collect water, women can devote more time to developing their farms, which become more productive as a result. Where harvests of the past would barely have met a family’s own needs for food, they can now sell surplus crops to bring in additional income, providing food security and a way out of poverty.

With extra income, families can also now afford to pay school fees, which means children can benefit from an education and life opportunities that they could only have dreamt of before.

“I feel so relieved knowing that even after I am gone, my grandchildren will have access to clean water thanks to the sand dam. It is a legacy that will provide for them long after I am no longer here.”

Grace Mulili Mukunza, Ngui A self-help group member, southeast Kenya.

Sand dams can remain functional for upwards of 60 years, with next to no maintenance or operating costs. It is an amazing gift that really does keep on giving, season after season, year after year.

When participating community members are asked why they wanted to build a sand dam, it is humbling how often they say they wanted to provide a better future for the next generation. This may be one of the greatest benefits that sand dams bring to a community. 

“Now, I have clean water close to my home, and I have more time to go to school and help my grandmother with our garden. We have a lush greenery of kale, sugarcane, cassava, and bananas because we have enough water. I feel stronger and healthier because I eat fresh, nutritious food every day. The sand dam has made our lives so much better.”

Mukonyo Kioko, granddaughter of Grace Mulili Mukunza (pictured above).

We know that the sand dam projects we enable with your support are uniquely placed to provide sustainable, long-lasting impacts for many generations. A key reason for this is that communities are fully involved from beginning to end, having actively sought for a sand dam project to be implemented in their area. With time, as communities begin to see the fruits of their labour emerge, they can feel especially proud of the effort they put into bringing a water source closer to their homes.

Alongside the construction of a sand dam, training is provided for local farmers in climate-smart farming methods, helping the community to make the most of their new water source. This knowledge can then be passed onto other families in the area, who also benefit.

Communities often establish a tree nursery alongside their sand dam. Young trees are planted out on nearby farms and provide a legacy of visible, long-lasting benefits, including shade for livestock and a sustainable supply of fodder and firewood.

Here, we speak to Grace Mukunza and her grandchild Mukonyo from the Tulimani community (and Ngui A self-help group) in southeast Kenya. They tell us how the gift of a sand dam, which Grace helped to build, has touched both of their lives. 

None of these gifts of life and opportunity would be possible without the vision and hard work of the communities we work with, and without the continued generosity of our supporters. If you would like to help more families like Grace and Mukonyo’s, here are some ways you can support us:

By making a donation to our September appeal: 

• £25 could provide a dryland farmer with drought-tolerant seeds, to grow a reliable source of fresh food for their children
  
  
• £50 could provide a community with a roll of barbed wire, to reinforce and strengthen their sand dam during construction
  
  
• £100 could provide a community with a wheelbarrow and 10 bags of cement, to help them construct their sand dam

---

By leaving a charitable gift in your Will: 

It is easy to do and means that, having made a provision for your loved ones, you can also make a lasting and profound difference to some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

This September (2024), we are proud to once again be taking part in Remember a Charity Week (9th to 15th September), an annual campaign in which over 200 charities team up to raise awareness of legacy giving. More and more people are deciding to support their favourite causes in this way, and it represents a crucial income stream for charities.

If you would like to learn more about leaving a gift in your Will, please read here for more details and for information on some of the free Will-writing services available.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your continued support for our work, for which we are hugely grateful.