Walking on Water

The 'just 3 kilometers' off the main road was surly the optimism of the young Kenyans who had met us at the petrol station, our guides to another of the projects that the organisation Dana's parents work for are involved in. We pulled out past the multi-colored buses and those hawking peanuts or cabbage (and a multitude of other 'fast food' one might consider taking on a road trip), leaving the broken asphalt for the deep red roads found no where on the Kenyan map.
This long (actually 18.8 kilometers by the odometer) and winding road, that at times could not be called a respectable rabbit trail, took us deep into the bush, passing small villages and a multitude of beautiful waving children to our destination, a sand dam.
When we hoped out of the vehicle our guides reminded us to lock our doors. While we have become accustom to the heightened security measures of Nairobi's urban jungle, we were perplexed as to why, here in the middle of God's country, we were rolling up windows and locking doors. Baboons... perhaps most of these primates look innocent, but those familiar with the ways of the wild insist precaution is best, even if a troop's intent might be curiosity over malice.
Anyway, having secured our belongings, we went down to the river were we came upon a concrete wall clinging to each bank and spanning across the channel that the seasonal rains had cut away, an ancient watercourse that rarely holds water during the dry season. That is of coarse, before the community initiated project built the approximately 100 meter wide and 4 meter high dam. These projects, dreamt up and designed by Kenyans have been popping up throughout a number of the seasonal waterways, with a local community utilizing international funds to create a long term, sustainable source of filtered water throughout even the fiercest of droughts (namely the one Kenyans are just now celebrating the end of).
The dams work by slowing the torrents of seasonal rain, and more specifically the eroded sand they carry with them, causing the dam to fill with water saturated sand. The sand acts as a filter and a means to retain water, slowing evaporation by the sun's jealous rays. This causes the dams to look as though they are holding back a vast table of sand, and if walking on it one might not suspect they hold many thousand gallons of water the surrounding community can use for drinking, irrigation and livestock. People access this precious commodity with a shovel and a bucket... think about the last time you have been digging at the beach and come upon the water table... only less salty.
In the dry season they become and oasis, with the land adjacent to the riverbed showing a green blush of life and vitality that would give any farmer cause for hope. Oh, if you're interested in purchasing a little plot of agricultural paradise you can pick it up at $300 an acre. Tempting, though the commute would be daunting.