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Women and children in rural southeast Kenya spend an average of 5 hours every day fetching water, leaving little time to earn money or go to school. By building a sand dam nearby, people have clean water available to grow enough food to eat, and can sell the surplus to improve their family’s income
Categories
Beneficiaries
Situation
The rural drylands of southeast Kenya suffer from ever increasing drought and erratic rainfall, causing famine and trapping people in poverty. Around two thirds of the population live below the poverty line and lack access to safe water. Women and children bear the heaviest burden: typically spending 6-12 hours a day collecting water, often from unsafe sources. With so little water available for farming, families often go to bed hungry, and are less able to pay school or medical fees.
Solution
A sand dam can store up to 40 million litres of water (which meets WHO standards for drinking) for as little as £10 per person. By supporting 4 communities to build a sand dam each, to trap rainwater when seasonal rivers flow, they will be able to access safe water close to home, for use all year round. We will also train and support them to achieve the best possible crop yields, so they can feed their families, generate income to pay their children’s school fees and escape poverty for good.