Published in May 2021

Here in the UK, it’s Spring with the promise of good things to come. The feeling of optimism is, of course, amplified because, in some parts of the world, the season has also brought partial relief from the constraints of living with a pandemic. Throw in the promise of mass vaccination programmes designed to keep COVID-19 in check and the outlook is better for many than it was at this point last year. 

Sadly, progress in safeguarding public health has not been the same everywhere. This month the spotlight is on India where the pandemic has a devastating hold on the country. Who knows where the next ‘COVID hotspot’ will be… We are, of course, keeping a close eye on what is happening in the communities we work with; those who live in the driest parts of the world.

"Small local initiatives, like well sited sand dams and climate-agriculture farming projects, designed to keep people self-sufficient, healthy and economically active, will become even more critical when COVID eventually fades in our rear-view mirrors."

It's looking as if COVID will deliver a double blow to these communities. The health impacts of the virus are already a worry, but a long-term economic downturn may well follow. Some are already predicting a recession in parts of Africa and Asia, undoing many years of economic progress. Last week I read an article that stated how 494 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, out of a total population of 1.14 billion, were expected to be living in poverty ahead of the pandemic in in 2020. That total may already have risen by 40 million (a figure that could be a lot higher once the pandemic has run its course).

Small local initiatives, like well sited sand dams and climate-smart agriculture farming projects, designed to keep people self-sufficient, healthy and economically active, will become even more critical when COVID eventually fades in our rear-view mirrors. And with international aid becoming scarcer, we will endeavour to shine even more of a spotlight on such potential solutions that provide good value for money.

Sand dams not only provide clean, accessible water for under £15 per person, but they also are the pathway to economic activity enabling communities to grow and sell food locally.

So, as we look forward, the fight on reducing the short and long-term impact of COVID-19 must be the focus of international efforts, but let’s not forget to also invest in a post pandemic world, helping vulnerable people living in drylands to persevere, to build and to prosper.

Please consider making a donation to support vulnerable dryland communities to build sand dams and have access to clean water; a basic human right.