YOU DID IT!

Huge thanks to everyone who supported the matched funding appeal. As you can see, the grand total is £20,103.13 but there's £917.50 of Gift Aid to be added too. This brings us to an absolute grand total of £21,020.63.

The funds raised will support Munyuni's sand dam build in February, and will also support them to develop improved farming techniques.

This means so much to all of us here at Excellent Development, our partners Africa Sand Dam Foundation, and most importantly of course the members of Munyuni Self Help Group. The very best Christmas present anyone could ever receive - one that lasts a lifetime!

We are really looking forward to sharing photos of the completed sand dam with you after it's built in February, and news of their progress as they improve their farming techniques and start to grow more food.

Thanks again for your invaluable support - we couldn't do it without you!

 

EXTENSION TO APPEAL!

We're so close to our target that our pledgers have given us a two day extension to help us reach £20,000! Please help us maximise this opportunity - donate, share with your friends, like us on Facebook. We have until midnight on Wednesday 12th December so please do all you can to raise enough to fund Munyuni's whole project!

Welcome to our Christmas Give A Dam Matched Funding Challenge! Help us to achieve our goal of £20,000 to support Munyuni Self Help Group in Kenya to build a sand dam. They’re due to start in February and have already begun collecting the stones and sand needed for the construction.

Donations made to our challenge page between 4th and 9th December will be matched and therefore doubled from a pledge fund.

Please read on to get to know the self help group and find out how you can give them a very Excellent Christmas.

 

Peter Mwanza, member of Munyuni Self Help Group

 

"There has been a water shortage problem due to low rainfall, we receive short rains in this area and we have lagged behind in development.

 

"We used to fetch water from River Athi. We used to travel 20kms, when one goes to fetch water early in the morning you come back at noon or 1:00pm depending on one’s speed and this is a torture for us.

 

"There was no other place where we could grow vegetables due to lack of water. We used to buy food and vegetables.

 

"We still wanted to do other projects but building sand dams was our priority so that we can have water locally available.

 

"Since we have our first sand dam our lives have changed a lot. We have seen that with water available we can accomplish much, especially in horticulture. Apart from fetching water we can still use the water for growing vegetables which are source of income.

 

“The vegetables from the self-help group were being bought. In short after we get water I will have enough vegetables at home. I am planting trees and it will be easier to water the trees.

 

 "I will educate my three children so that they have great hope in future and ensure that they don’t suffer in future and will be independent"

  

Munyuni Self Help Group

 

Formed in 2011, Munyuni’s main aim in working together was to combat the water insecurity from which their region has suffered for many years. It can take up to five hours to fetch water, which has led to numerous problems for the community.

 

The time and energy spent fetching water detracted from each person’s ability to grow food or carry out other activities to support themselves. The limited amount of water they could collect also made farming very difficult where rainfall was low, as well as conservation activities such as tree-planting.

 

The children have been affected as well as the adults, as they also have water collection responsibilities. Particularly in the dry season, many missed school due to the length of time it took to bring water. Every child must bring their own water to school, and even when they did get to school, the water they brought was often contaminated and sickness was rife.

 

Their situation is improving, as their first sand dam has started to collect water which they can use for farming. This is motivating them to work even harder to achieve their goals as they have firsthand experience of the benefits.

 

With the support of Excellent Development and our partner Africa Sand Dam Foundation, they are working to build sand dams, plant trees and improve their farming practices to better suit the changing climate in their region.

 

Charles Kithisya Ngundo, member of Munyuni

 

"Our main problem was to get access to water. Our region has been affected by severe drought leading to hunger, for a long time we are still working hard in spite of the hunger. We will not face such problems anymore."

 

“We are using the water in watering our nurseries at the dam site and trees in our homes, our livestock drink from here too. We have a shallow well and it is fitted with pipes to trap water from the sand, we are using the water for drinking and other domestic purposes. We also sell water to get some income.

 

"We are planning to build more dams and we are collecting stones for the construction of our second sand dam. We have already started clearing the pathway for the vehicle which will be bringing construction materials to the new site and we are almost through.

 

"We also plan to continue planting trees and terrace our farms and grow napier grass so that we can start dairy cow and dairy goat farming and many more other activities which can be of benefit to us."

 

How the challenge works

 

Every £1 you donate will be equally matched from our pledge fund. A £50 donation from you will become £100 to support Munyuni Self Help Group’s sand dam project. If you can Gift Aid your donation, it will become £112.50.

 

We would like to acknowledge the great generosity of the Rotary Club of Bingley, the Rotary Club of Basildon, the Rotary Club of Warrington, and Excellent Trustees and staff members for making this challenge possible by providing the pledge fund of £10,000 between them.

 

To reach our target we need to raise £10,000 from individuals. If we are lucky enough to exceed our overall target of £20,000, any extra donations will not be matched but they will go to wherever the need is greatest. As an example of what this could be: The last time we ran a challenge, we raised more than the cost of the project and we allocated the “extra” money to fund the farming activities of two self help groups.