Utooni Development Project

The Utooni Development Group’s success at supplying water for itself did not immediately lead to repetition. That came with time and many meetings to understand the dynamics of change in the communities. The reality is that the social context of a community, how people relate to each other, to neighboring communities and the government is more important than the technology of building a dam. Dams are community structures that meet a basic need. It is the community that must decide they want and need one. Joshua recognized that without the community structure in place and solidly grounded, a dam alone would not solve the problems they faced. The organizational structure was essential before the dam was built. The Utooni Development Organization, which is a direct descendent of the Utooni Development Group, recognizes this reality, spending much of its time and energy encouraging formation of community self-help groups and addressing water and agricultural issues. Help is not just a sand dam.