Excellent! - excellentdevelopment.com

Excellent Development is working with SOS Sahel in Sudan, pioneering the use of sand dams in an area where water shortages are exacerbating conflict between nomadic pastoralists and settled farmers.

In parts of Southern Kordofan in Sudan there is a fragile peace: pastoralists and farmers fought on opposing sides during the civil war.

Pastoralist groups use traditional migration routes to bring their livestock to pasture and water, both of which are in short supply. Conflict over scarce resources is an increasing problem both within the pastoralist community and between pastoralists and farmers. The power-sharing arrangement that ended the war did not resolve disputes over access to land and water.

SOS Sahel specialises in natural resource management and conflict reduction in the drylands of the African Sahel. They have extensive experience working with both pastoral and agricultural communities.

Communities working with SOS Sahel have identified water and conflict avoidance as their top priorities. However, the water technologies presently used are expensive and unsustainable. Parts of the semi-arid landscape are suitable for sand dams, so Excellent Development is collaborating with SOS Sahel to introduce sand dam technology to this region.

A pilot project run by SOS Sahel and part-funded by Excellent Development has established the feasibility of building sand dams in the region. Three sand dams were successfully built on the Marui River between December 2009 and March 2010 with support from the community of Damba village.

Residents of Damba were having to walk a 16 km round trip in the dry season to get water from the nearest town, Kadugli. Now their water source will be a few hundred metres away. They hope to cultivate mangoes, lemons and hibiscus with the water, and extra free time, that they have gained.

Excellent Development is now developing plans to fund a three-year programme to build on this work. SOS Sahel will co-ordinate the building of 20 sand dams over the course of the three years, as well as developing the capacity of local community members to manage the resources.

The main flashpoints where demand for water causes conflict are the priority areas for improving water supply through building sand dams. SOS Sahel is working with community representatives to identify the best sites for sand dams, and to support the communities to build the sand dams. They will also help establish mixed gender water committees to manage the new resources effectively.

During the course of the project, training local craftsmen in construction with cement will give them valuable skills to create a viable livelihood in an area with limited opportunities.
In addition SOS Sahel will be training ex-combatants in Kordofan as water apprentices - supporting the peace process by developing vocational skills.

The funding from Excellent Development will enable SOS Sahel to integrate sand dams into their wider programme of conflict management, livelihood improvement and natural resource management in this fragile, conflict-prone yet historically fertile region of Sudan.

See photos of SOS Sahel's work introducing sand dams to Damba village on Flickr.

Visit SOS Sahel's website to learn more about their work.