The day started off with a visit to Starlight Academy, a school run by Joshua's widow, Rhoda. We were there for their worship time and every one of us was inspired by the children’s attention to the message being preached while standing in formation. Such discipline is hard to imagine in our western culture. The children were absolutely adorable.
The teachers stood by with pride as their work was on display. It was clear to us that the moral teachings along with strong biblical principles were core to their education.
From here we moved on to visit three sand dam projects. The first one was still in need of one more rainy season before it would be classified as mature.
The second (built more recently) had already filled up with sand.
You probably all remember the passage from John 6:19. It says, “When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.”
I’ve often been intrigued by this passage, even though knowing that with Jesus all things are possible. But what was the chance of Jesus simply having known where to step in order to move from stone to stone? My scientific mind could not quash those thoughts.
Being at the Utooni sand dams allowed our group to also walk on water. What a gift to do this in a place that experiences such high evaporation rates and droughts caused by missed rainy seasons.
Concrete barriers are built across river beds after 1m x 1m terraces are dug along the sides of the river to divert the silt from filling up the reservoir space.
Now when the rains come and the water flows come carrying stores of sand with them, the sand is held back behind the dammed wall while the excess water flows over and continues on downstream. It may take as many as three or four rainy seasons for the dam to mature (filling up with sand), but once that has happened, the community will have a water supply that will carry them through many difficult seasons. Sand dams are 60% sand, leaving room for 40% water.
Open pans of water experience incredibly high evaporation rates, while water stored in the sand dam experiences very little evaporation. Mature dams can carry water through several missed rainy seasons. Incredible! Walking on a sand dam is really an experience of walking on water.
Once sand dams mature, the concrete barrier can simply be built up to hold back even more sand in upcoming rainy seasons. This then significantly increases the amount of stored water.
Water stored in the sand dam is important as it also raises the water table of the surrounding area, changing the vegetation as well as creating unique micro climates.
The third sand dam that we visited was in the process of being built. The majority of our time was spent here. It was a place of much joy and celebration (noise). We walked down a hill to the riverbed only to find hundreds of people working together (might it have been 500 or so?). The forms had been prepared beforehand. Rocks had been collected. Of course the terracing had also taken place before any of the construction could begin. And the rocks in the riverbed, rounded by the constant erosion by the sandy water during rainy seasons were a feast for the eyes.
It was obvious to each of us that this was the work of a well-organized community. They all had a task to do, and they did it in unison, with their music and dancing motivating all to join in.
Today was a special event as the Kamba community had Maasai guests who had come to learn from the ‘experts’ sand dam construction techniques. How could something like this be built in 5 days? They wanted to learn so that they would be able to take that knowledge back to assist them in their own sand dam projects.
This was truly a day of tribes coming together with a purpose. It was a day of beauty and hope. And with every gathering of this kind, we learned that it was also cause for ceremony. Many speeches were made – from government officials, to project chairmen as well as Dan Driedger representing our “donor” group after having received a ceremonial “vote of thanks” that was simply unforgettable.
But for me, the highlight came when Joel, the chairman for the Maasai group got up to speak. Joel, by the way, is a marathon runner – one of the world’s best. He has trained with the one who holds the world record. Maybe he will break that record someday. He is not yet at the peak age for marathon runners.
But that aside, what was so amazing was when Joel spoke to the crowds. He honoured the Kamba people for being sand dam experts. You could almost feel their pride grow. What a moment! But then he went on to say that although they (the Maasai) had learned a lot from this experience, they were ever more aware that they did not yet know enough. He asked the Kamba people if they would be willing to come and help when they were ready to build their first sand dam, and the response was a resounding nodding of heads. Yes, they would be there. It truly felt like a moment of walking on holy ground. Tribal tensions were simply not there. It was a moment of peace and tranquillity or as I said earlier, a day of beauty and hope.
Sand dams change communities. No longer will children need to spend hours walking many kilometers to get water. Instead they will be able to go to school. Education becomes possible and that also becomes a big agent for change.
It has been a most wonderful day. I wanted to see sand dams. Never had I imagined that we could be part of witnessing the things that took place today. Absolutely awesome!
From here it was back to the bus for our return trip to Nairobi and the Mennonite Guest House. That place is beginning to feel more and more like “home”.
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