Sand harvesting along the Amalo and Nyangores Rivers is one of the primary sources of income for local youth and women. It is one of highest-risk activities along the rivers.
Harvesters spend prolonged hours inside the rivers including early mornings or late evenings when wildlife movement is highest. Several attacks have occurred at sand harvesting sites.
Our Sand Harvesters Transition Program provides a structured exit pathway from this high-risk livelihood.
The program works through:
• Ongoing talks on the dangers of sand harvesting to both wildlife and people organised at harvesting sites
• Recruitment of women and youth to alternative livelihoods.
• Skills training and formation of support groups
• Transition support into safer enterprises such as irrigated horticulture, beekeeping, poultry, and conservation-linked businesses
• Market linkage and ongoing mentorship to ensure income stability
Our objective is not temporary substitution, but permanent economic transition.
By reducing dependence on river-based extraction, this program directly contributes to:
• Lower exposure to hippo and crocodile attack
• Reduced retaliatory killings
• Increased and diversified household income
• Restoration of fragile riverbank ecosystems