Mozambique

Partner: Christian Council of Mozambique, (Tete)

Our first partner in Mozambique was the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM) who work in each of the 10 provinces in Mozambique. Sand Dams Worldwide worked with CCM, (Tete) in Tete province, north-west Mozambique from 2010 – 2019. Their main area of expertise was agriculture, which sand dam technology complemented well.

During this partnership we constructed 12 sand dams, improving water security for over 25,000 people, and demonstrating the suitability of Mozambique for sand dam technology.

We are now starting to scale up sand dam technology in other areas of Mozambique; currently working in Manica province with Micaia Foundation.

Northern Kenya

Partner: Lekurruki Conservation Trust

The Lekurruki Conservation Trust (LCT) is the managing body for Lekurruki conservancy, situated in the northern rangelands of Kenya, that works to protect the wildlife, plants and people of the conservancy.

We worked with LCT from 2013-2019, and constructed 14 sand dams, bringing vital sources of water to over 10,000 people, their livestock and the wildlife living and depending on the area.

This programme and partnership also piloted and demonstrated the role that sand dams can play in conservation areas, benefiting people, livestock, and wildlife.

INDIA

PARTNER: Jal Bhagirathi Foundation

The Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF) is based in Rajasthan, India. It works with community groups to enable the desert communities of the Marwar region to access drinking water for people and animals through traditional knowledge and appropriate technology.

In 2012, Sand Dams Worldwide initiated a study to investigate how sand dams might benefit JBF's programmes.

Following that, alongside our strategic partners, Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF), we worked in partnership with JBF to apply sand dam technology to the region of Marwar with three villages (Thumbo Ka Goliya village in Jalore District and the villages of Jasol and Bhakasar in Barmer District, bringing water close to homes in this, the most densely populated arid region in the world.

"One of the things I like about this project is the joining together of people from three continents: JBF in India, Sand Dams Worldwide [formerly Excellent Development] from the UK and Africa Sand Dam Foundation from Kenya."

Prithvi Raj Sighji, JBF Managing Trustee, after the launch of our partnership with JBF in 2013.

For the time being, we have completed our sand dam programme in India; recharging the groundwater and increasing the availability of water for communities in the region as result.

Tanzania

Supported: Catholic Relief Service

Members of the Catholic Relief Service, attended a learning visit hosted by our partners, ASDF. Using the skills learnt during this learning visit, Catholic Relief Service oversaw the construction of five sand dams between the years 2013 and 2015 as part of their Integrated Water Management Initiative in Tanzania. These sand dams have provided water for almost 1,000 people in the Tanzanian drylands.

Sand Dams Worldwide, along with ASDF, are currently planning on scaling up their sand dam programme to move into Tanzania, where there is scope for sand dams to provide water security for the local populations.

Eswatini

Supported: Eswatini Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

The Lowveld and Midveld of Eswatini are characterised by long dry seasons, with drastic soil erosion also a major problem. This is common across many arid and semi-arid lands, to which sand dams can act as a viable solution.

In 2014, Sand Dams Worldwide worked with the Eswatini Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to facilitate the construction of four sand dams and their associated abstraction structures.

These sand dams were constructed in the eastern, dryer, area of Eswatini and benefited around 1,000 people.

Sudan

Partner: SOS Sudan

SOS Sudan works in the Sahelian drylands in Sudan to help communities protect their local environments and develop livelihoods. Sand Dams Worldwide worked with SOS Sudan on a consultancy basis to enable the construction of 10 sand dams in southern Sudan between 2012 and 2016, as a means of ensuring water security and developing the environments of the local populations.

This has benefited over 8,000 people, and proven that sand dams are a viable means of providing water security in southern Sudan, and in other locations within the Sahel.

Chad

Supported: Islamic Relief Chad

Chad spans a large part of the Sahel, the ecoclimatic zone of transition between the Sahara in the North and the savannah in the south. This means that as a country it has a wide range of climates and rainy seasons. The areas within the Sahel itself can be suitable areas for sand dams to help alleviate water poverty.

In February 2013, two members of the organisation, Islamic Relief Chad, participated in a learning visit hosted by our partners in Kenya, ASDF. Following this visit, Islamic Relief proceeded to develop a sand dam project within Chad, which led to the construction of three dams in 2016, benefiting over 4,600 people.