Published in December 2018

Walking to the Sand Dams Worldwide office this week it’s clear that the run-up to Christmas is in full swing. Baubles, lights and tinsel are now common sights and, so is the marketing hype for the new gizmos and fashion items which are so easily forgotten.

However in recent years, a new type of giving has started to emerge and that’s the gift of giving to those who have so little, those who just need a kickstart. These days you can donate money to a charity that will provide lifelong access to water, food, and all the benefits that come with that.

This spirit of generosity doesn’t just happen at Christmas. Since Sand Dams Worldwide was set up back in 2002, we have depended on the generosity of so many individuals, trusts and parts of government. And the communities that we support have done some extraordinary things with the money entrusted to us. 

Earlier this year we reached our target of 1,000 sand dams built, providing water to those who desperately need it.  Just a month ago we met our target of providing a clean and dependable source of water to over a million people who live in some of the driest regions in the world.

It’s easy to gloss over these figures. They are after all numbers on a page. But behind the numbers are individual men, women and children who have been given the chance of a better life through your generosity and support. You can see their appreciation through the smiling faces which tells the human stories behind the numbers.

And your generosity continues to spur us on. This week, our Big Give Christmas Challenge raised £107,813! These are precious funds that we will invest in the next generation of sand dams (specifically four new dams in southeast Kenya), which will go on helping communities for years to come.

So big thank you to all who have used the lasting gift of giving to help us make life better for so many.

And for those who missed out on The Big Give, or who’d like to give a bit more this Christmas, helping to transform generations to come with sand dams, you can donate to our Christmas appeal here.