Published in September 2026

In addition to building sand dams, Sand Dams Worldwide and our local partner in southeast Kenya, Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF) are supporting thousands of people to build sand dam road crossings, which provide vital infrastructure for rural communities alongside the benefits of a sand dam. Whilst supplying millions of litres of safe water, sand dam road crossings also save communities hours of time and provide greater accessibility to local markets, schools, hospitals and other services. Here we hear from two community members who are reaping the rewards of their sand dam road crossing.

We spoke to Benjamin Mutua (30 years old, carer to his elderly parents) and Victoria Kyengo (45-year-old farmer and mother) from Kyandumu self-help group (SHG), located in Makueni county, southeast Kenya. Kyandumu SHG built their sand dam road crossing to improve access to water as well as local services. Benjamin explains the project further:

“ASDF and Sand Dams Worldwide has supported us to build a ‘3-in-1 project’ that includes a shallow well, sand dam and road crossing. The project connects Kyakalee Village, Ndumani Village and Muusini Village. As a young man I joined the group to see my community get access to water and cross the river easily.”

Sand dam road crossings incorporate the principles of sand dam technology with low volume road crossing designs that deliver a more robust and cost-effective rural roads infrastructure. The benefits are multiple: they improve transport links by providing a more direct route across a river, they improve access to education as children can get to schools more easily, they safeguard community health and wellbeing by providing a more direct route to hospitals and health services, and they allow local people to increase their food security and income as they can buy and sell produce from markets either side of the road crossing; all the whilst providing a lifelong supply of clean water via a connected shallow well.

Victoria’s days used to be consumed with having to trek long distances for water, causing concern and stress. She shared what a typical day looked like:

“I wake up every morning with a mix of anxiety and motivation. I am constantly juggling responsibilities and emotions. A typical day starts with getting the farm clean and managing all the tasks at home. I then walk 5 kilometres to the water source. The challenge is the water is very far, and the road is dusty with people flocking to the source.”

Victoria Kyengo, member of Kyandumu self-help group, southeast Kenya.

Benjamin reported extreme lethargy due to water collection:

“Having to trek back and forth on dusty roads always makes me weak. At times, I’m forced to focus entirely on fetching water, leaving out other important activities such as preparing my shamba (small farming plot).”

Victoria expands on the common occurrence of stomach problems and sickness due to ingesting unclean water from insecure water sources:

“Lack of water has pushed us to fall sick time and time again. Cholera and typhoid are the major diseases which regularly happened when entered drought season; this was as a result of drinking dirty water.”

With the support of Sand Dams Worldwide and ASDF, Victoria and Benjamin will change their outcomes with this sand dam road crossing project. Shortly after the completion of the road crossing, Benjamin explained what he hopes to achieve:

“First, I hope to get access to a clean and reliable source of water for myself and the community at large. Secondly, I hope to get access to all my markets and villages with ease during or after rains when it’s usually challenging to cross the river. When I start doing farming, I also hope to get my goods to the market with ease now that the road crossing will be in place.”

Benjamin Mutua, member of Kyandumu self-help group, southeast Kenya.

Similarly, also thinking about what she hopes to gain from this project, Victoria’s mind goes to her farmland and her desire to improve crop variety, increase yields and eventually make a steady income, now that she has access to water and local markets:

“I am planning to grow vegetables such as kale, cabbage and spinach as well as fruit trees. I want to feed my family first and if I get surplus, I can sell, targeting 10,000 Kenyan Shillings (around £58) in a month.”

When asked to summarise how he felt about this project and what it meant to him, Benajmin concluded:

“I feel a deep sense of pride and excitement. It's not just about the projects themselves; it's about what they represent; our strength, determination, and the better future we're working towards together. It gives me hope, knowing that we are creating something lasting that will benefit not just us, but future generations.”

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Please donate what you can and help to empower vulnerable women and girls in drylands to transform their own lives with sand dams and clean water