What We Do

International Development UK

The Salvation Army International Development UK works alongside communities around the world to defeat poverty and injustice.

Our international work is divided into five themes: Anti-Trafficking, Clean Water, Emergency Response, Food Security, and Women and Girls.

Areas of Work

Anti-Trafficking

Working through prevention, protection and partnership to tackle human trafficking and support survivors.

Clean Water

Working alongside communities to improve access to clean water and improved sanitation.

Emergency Response

Responding to disasters and emergency situations to provide immediate support and relief.

Food Security

Working alongside communities to overcome food insecurity

Women and Girls

Working with women to pursue gender justice and address inequality.

News and Stories

Kaeris Girls' School

In the heart of the arid expanse of Turkana North in northern Kenya, stands a hidden gem that serves as a beacon of hope for the surrounding community. Kaeris Girls' Secondary School is the sole secondary boarding school catering to the needs of Turkana girls within the district.

In an environment where girls’ education often takes a back seat - a staggering 94% of girls fail to transition to or complete secondary education - this school is a haven of change. Against a cultural backdrop that once promoted early marriages and dowry exchanges, the rising aspirations of girls are now challenging these traditions.

Supported by The Salvation Army Kenya West Territory, the school offers over 680 girls the transformative power of education and continues to improve the essential water and sanitation facilities to ensure an uninterrupted learning experience.

For the first time, over 70 girls qualified to join university education. This had never happened in the past.

Deputy Principal Ms Joy Ebaraza highlights the impact of water provision at the school. She said:

'In the past we had to cut off the afternoon lessons so that girls can go outside the school in search of water. This was both time consuming, as they had to queue at the water point, and it was also unsafe for our girls. This problem has now been solved and the girls can now concentrate fully on their studies. We have seen the school education performance increase in the last two years. For the first time, over 70 girls qualified to join university education. This had never happened in the past.'

Ms Joy Ebaraza (Deputy Head of Kaeris School) stood, smiling — Deputy Principal Ms Joy Ebaraza, Kaeris Girls' School

The school has sanitary facilities provided to cater for the unique needs of girls. Ms Ebaraza said, ‘[Providing] sanitary pads and hygiene training has boosted the confidence and self-esteem of the girls. Most girls and their families cannot afford to purchase sanitary pads.’ With this new knowledge and practical support, girls can now practise menstruation management with dignity and confidence, and fear and shame is diffused.

In addition to improving access to clean water, The Salvation Army has also partnered with the local Ministry of Forest and wider community, to support the school in a tree-planting initiative. Carefully selecting native tree species, they have brought life to Kaeris Secondary School and its surrounding communities. A thriving forest of over 1000 tree seedlings now grace the school’s grounds. Each student and teacher tend to their own cluster of trees, nurturing one tree at a time. With this knowledge, girls return to their homes as agents of change, enlightening their families about the significance of tree planting.

In Turkana’s arid landscape, where the hot climate can become extreme, trees are needed to provide shade and firewood, and to help conserve the environment. Trees create microclimates by providing shade, reducing surface temperatures, and increasing humidity and could therefore support better living conditions for both humans and livestock.

The tree planting project in Kaeris school continue to raise awareness about the importance of combating climate change and protecting the environment. It also provides education to the local communities about the benefits of trees and environmental conservation ultimately leading to more sustainable practices.

The Salvation Army in Kenya West is continuing to work alongside the school and surrounding communities to bring transformation to Turkana.

More stories

The Salvation Army in Kenya East is addressing the urgent need for clean and safe water in Nduumoni, a small village located in Kalamba Division of Nzaui Sub-County.

For many women, the burden of collecting water is an unrelenting task which involves digging into the riverbed to scoop water from underneath the sand. It is a task that takes many hours and the water collected is often unsafe to drink.

In Nduumoni, prolonged droughts are frequent wiping out household’s livelihoods exacerbating poverty due to reliance on rain-fed agriculture. With the changing climate, permanent rivers have become seasonal, and food insecurity has increased.

Nduumoni village is characterised by underdeveloped infrastructure, limited employment opportunities, inaccessibility to credit facilities and continued environmental degradation, which push most of the youth and men to go to urban cities in search of casual jobs.

However, Nduumoni village’s story began to change with the construction of a sand dam.

What is a Sand Dam?

The completed Nduumoni Sand Dam in Kenya East Territory

A sand dam is a concrete structure that is built across a dry riverbed, as rain falls it is captured behind the sand dam wall, where it is naturally filtered and stored by the sand in the riverbed. As the river flows it brings more sand along with it, which collects upstream of the dam, in turn creating more water storage capacity. The water is safely stored in the sand where it is protected from evaporation.

In Nduumoni village, a shallow well next to the river enables the community to extract the water stored in the sand dam using a hand pump.

One of the benefits of a sand dam is that it raises the water table of the local area, meaning communities can grow crops, establish tree seedlings, and grow fruit trees alongside the riverbanks. Communities are trained in sustainable agricultural practices such as terracing and tree planting; and taught how to grow drought resistant crops which ensure a sustainable, nutritious source of food, improving the health of the whole community. The surplus crop produce can be traded to provide an income, transforming the livelihoods of the communities.

Return to Rural Life

Peter Musyoki, a 54-year-old father of three, is one of the local farmers who has seen the benefit of the sand dam.

Peter recently returned to Nduumoni having spent 15 years in Nairobi, working as a casual labourer.

He said, ‘We could not grow anything before the sand dam as the land was so dry and could not support any crops. However, since the construction of the sand dam, there has been regeneration of the vegetation along the riverbank, there is now life; birds, trees, and shrubs have started growing’

Kenyan Farmer Peter Musyoki smiling at camera — Peter Musyoki, a farmer who took part of the Nduumoni Sand Dam project

Peter is a model farmer who is currently earning reliable income from the sale of fruit tree seedlings and selling citrus fruits from his orchard. Besides growing varieties of vegetables, he is also growing pigeon peas and cassava which are drought resistant crops. He has established a seed bank which he supplies seeds to the local farmers.

For Peter, returning to his village has not only provided him with reliable income but he has been able to share his knowledge with his community. Peter has established some good markets for his fruits and vegetables and is excited at the opportunities to make income in his rural village. Peter shared how his economic life has improved since returning to the village. He said, ‘I can now comfortably pay school fees, medical fees and provide for the needs of my family. My life has become better in the rural than when I was in the city.’

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The Salvation Army International Development UK, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ

Telephone +44 (0)20 7367 4777

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