Thwake River
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Thwake River

The Africa Sand Dam Foundation

Year

2021

Category

Thiess International River Prize

Winner of the 2021 Thiess International River Prize, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF) was founded in 2010. ASDF’s vision is to foster soil and water conservation in dry lands to change the lives of millions of community members. Their focus is on water conservation by harvesting and storing within seasonal river channels, through the construction of sand dams. Since inception, Africa Sand Dam Foundation has operated with a community led development approach, implementing 530 sand dams of which 125 are within River Thwake and it’s tributaries. This enables 795,000 community members to have access to water. At risk individuals in these communities would usually have to walk long distances (average 5 – 10 kilometers) to fetch water for use at their homes. The sand dams allow families to access clean drinking water within shorter distances (500 metres – 1 kilometers), greatly improving quality of life and safety.

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