Visit to Nuu Dam, Partnership Water Project

The dam constructed in the Nuu division of Mwingi district is a critical project initiated through the Partnership between the Archdiocese of St Paul/Minneapolis and the Diocese of Kitui with the help and supervision of Catholic Relief Services.

The area of Nuu has been suffering from tremendous drought. Today, 1,250 families have to walk as much as 15 miles to gather water. And the water is not as clean as it should be for use by the people of Nuu. Without sufficient water, crops fail and livestock suffers. A decision was reached that this region of Kitui was best suited to host an enormous dirt and clay dam to hold water from seasonal rain.

Over 220 villagers from the Nuu division were hired to build and maintain the dam. They created 15-foot walls around a large man-made basin – excavated by hand with pick axes, shovels and other small implements. The dam was designed to hold approx. 5 million liters of water. It was an enormous undertaking and a breath-taking example of human effort.

Many families and children in the Archdiocese of St Paul/Minneapolis helped collect funds for construction of the dam through the H20 initiative. Funds were then collected and forwarded through the Center for Mission office in St Paul. (See the Web site for additional information) Along with funds from the Food Resource Bank and Catholic Relief Services, the project was initiated in October 2007.

It is a marvelous example of ingenuity and accomplishment. One must visit the dam to realize the scope of the project and the seriousness of the drought and it’s damage to the community. Penny Knoll, a member of the delegation visiting from the Archdiocese described her experience.

“…the experience can not be described in words. When we first arrived we were greeted by almost the entire community of Nuu. When I first toured the dam itself, the scripture came to mind, ‘When I was naked, you clothed me; when I was hungry, you fed me; when I was thirsty, you gave me to drink.’ At that point, the tears that started to flow might have been able to fill one of the dry river streams that we’ve been driving through all week. I was very proud to be a member of the delegation and the projects that have helped make this possible.”

The dam is a valuable asset to the community of Nuu and will significantly help to alleviate the drought conditions currently endured in this area of Kitui. All it takes now is prayer and rain.