Home page for Excellent Development: http://www.excellentdevelopment.com
Sand Dams
Half the population in Kenya lack access to clean water. After the twice yearly rains, water resources quickly dry up, forcing rural communities to walk up to 20 km for often unsafe water. Water problems are exacerbated by the failure of 1 in 3 rainy seasons. Furthermore communities are affected by deforestation and desertification which reduces food production. All of this hinders income, health and education which are important drivers of poverty relief.
The sand dam projects are a very cost effective, environmentally sound solution to the problem of lack of water. Essentially reinforced concrete walls built across seasonal river beds, sand dams capture the seasonal rain and store it below sand behind the dam keeping it clean and free from parasites.
Benefits of the sand dams
- Local, reliable, clean water supply for over 1,000 people year round.
- Saves 2-12 hours per day
- Creates time to focus on food production
- Reduce diseases and health problems related to unsafe water
- Enables tree and vegetable nurseries
- Low cost and maintenance
- Community owned
- Transforms the environment by raising the water table
Link to website: http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/dams.php
Link to film: http://tv.oneworld.net/mediamanage/play/3820//148271/
Planting Protected Forests
In semi-arid Kenya trees are used for firewood, fruit, fodder, shade, building, tools and even medicines. However, the deforestation that has taken place has endangered many useful species. Apart from threatening people’s livelihoods and the environment, the continuation of traditional medicinal knowledge is at risk as necessary trees have been culled at an overwhelming rate.
As well as helping farmers to plant trees in their farms, Excellent Development is planting protected forests in support of World Wildlife Fund conservation goals. The species selected for the forests are chosen because they are locally, nationally or globally endangered, and the majority of them also have medicinal properties.
Environmental and Community Benefits of the Forests
- The forests act as 'living seed banks' providing seeds for communities to use.
- Forest nurseries enable farmers to learn how to germinate and propagate the notoriously difficult to grow trees.
- The forests themselves demonstrate that successful growing is possible
- In the future, workshops will teach farmers how to sustainably harvest the trees to obtain valuable medicinal products to use or sell.
- The trees add to regional biodiversity, and contribute to improving the global environment through their absorption of carbon dioxide.
Link to website: http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/endangered.php
Link to film: http://tv.oneworld.net/mediamanage/play/3825//148271/ |
