LONG, DRY WALK TO WATER

A woman carries a water container from a dam to a village near Loiyangalani, Kenya, this week. About 400 villagers in Olenarau, in the southern county of Kajiado, make daily trips to the dam to quench their farm animals’ thirst. Drought has hit livestockherding communities across the country, some of whom have lost their entire herds, or have to walk long distances in search of water. When rain does fall, the barren land is less able to absorb rainwater. To remedy this, the African Medical and Research Foundation has built 20 sand dams in the area in the past decade. The structures use concrete walls built across river beds to capture and hold rainwater in sand deposits. During the rainy season, the sand absorbs water, which can then be used in homes and for irrigation in the dry season.