Kitui District with a population of just over half a million is located in a semi-arid area, repeatedly hit by drought. The sand dam programme undertaken by Sahelian Solutions Foundation Kenya (SASOL) was aimed at increasing the availability of water by organizing the construction of sand dams. A total of 376 dams have been developed serving over 200,000 inhabitants, boosting food security in the local communities and economic activities such as bee-keeping, brick making and growing of fruits and vegetables have sprung up.