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  • what-we-do
  1. About us
  2. What we do

What we do

Sand Dams Worldwide (formerly Excellent Development) is a registered charitable company that supports some of the world’s poorest people to transform their own lives through water and soil conservation in drylands. We do this in three ways:

  • By working with local partners, we support rural communities to gain access to clean water close to their homes and to invest in sustainable agriculture.
  • By pioneering sand dams, we promote and support the application of sand dam technology by key stakeholders in drylands.
  • By influencing and educating those who can help achieve our vision including – but not limited to – policy makers, international NGOs, government departments and civil engineering firms. 

Our charitable objects

  • To promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment for the public benefit; and
  • To relieve poverty, in particular but not exclusively, by supporting sustainable development* projects; and
  • To advance the education of the public in the subjects of sustainable development, conservation and the relief of poverty, in particular but not exclusively by the undertaking and dissemination of research.

*Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Our purpose

  • To support rural communities in dryland areas to gain access to clean water and grow enough food to eat and sell.
  • To pioneer the application of sand dam technology as part of an integrated approach to water security, sustainable development and infrastructure development.
  • To influence and educate via research, development of manuals and proofs, lobbying and partnerships such that Sand Dams Worldwide becomes the acknowledged source of expertise in this area.

Strategic objectives and public benefit statement

In setting our objectives and planning our activities our Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit.

  • Support communities in drylands worldwide to achieve water and food security through soil and water conservation and improved farming techniques, as enabled by sand dams.
  • Promote community self-help as the critical factor in creating sustainable development.
  • Establish sand dams as a key water supply option alongside the more common water solutions.
  • Engage with organisations at the local, national and international level to influence and support wider adoption of sand dam technology.
  • Promote sand dams and soil and water conservation as a means of combating desertification, mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change, conserving biodiversity and enabling green economic growth.
  • Promote the use of sand dam technology as an alternative method of road crossings for seasonal rivers – both for public works and in wildlife reserves.
  • Enhance development education and awareness worldwide.
1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2040

1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2040

Read about our plan to directly support other organisations to build sand dams, in turn, realising our vision to support millions of the world’s poorest people by helping them to transform their own lives through water and soil conservation in drylands. Read more

Published: 11th May, 2018

Updated: 23rd March, 2022

Author:

Our philosophy and values

Our philosophy and values

Our philosophy and values define who we are, every action we take and how we behave towards others. They are our most profound convictions. Each of us is called to respect, experience, enact and promote them. Read more

Published: 11th May, 2018

Updated: 21st March, 2022

Author:

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Showing 10 of 2

Latest

  • September 2022 sand dam expedition

    September 2022 sand dam expedition

    Sand Dams Worldwide supports communities in drylands around the world to transform their own lives with sand dams and climate-smart agriculture; empowering them to achieve lifelong access to water and food. Please donate to help more vulnerable dryland communities benefit from sand dam projects.

  • Sand dams feature in BBC's Our Changing Planet

    Sand dams feature in BBC's Our Changing Planet

    Sand dams and our partners in southeast Kenya, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation, feature in the BBC's latest documentary series charting the world's most threatened ecosystems and the groundbreaking solutions hoping to bring extraordinary change.

  • Sand dams: Water for life

    Sand dams: Water for life

    We need your support so that we can help vulnerable dryland communities to achieve lifelong water security with sand dams.

  • £22,513.75 raised in the Green Match Fund 2022 - thank you!

    £22,513.75 raised in the Green Match Fund 2022 - thank you!

    The campaign, which ran for seven days only, offered supporters of participating charities the opportunity to have their donations doubled.

Most read

  • What is a sand dam?

    What is a sand dam?

  • Reversing land degradation and desertification

    Reversing land degradation and desertification

    Conservation of the environment is critical to the economic development of people living in drylands.

  • Donate

    Donate

    Please donate what you can to transform lives and land with sand dams and clean water.

  • The challenge

    The challenge

    Find out what are drylands, why they are they are such harsh regions to live, how sand dams are applicable in drylands and what difference they can make to over 40% of the world's land surface.

  • 1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2040

    1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2040

    Read about our plan to directly support other organisations to build sand dams, in turn, realising our vision to support millions of the world’s poorest people by helping them to transform their own lives through water and soil conservation in drylands.

  • Our approach

    Our approach

    Find out more about Excellent's approach, from working with self-help groups to why we partner we on-ground, local organisations.

  • Climate-smart agriculture

    Climate-smart agriculture

    It’s astonishing to see what can be achieved through these simple, but highly effective, techniques of climate-smart agriculture.

  • Watch how sand dams work

    Watch how sand dams work

    Film explaining how sand dams work and their potential impact in the world's drylands

  • End hunger with sand dams

    End hunger with sand dams

    We need your help so that we can continue to support more vulnerable dryland communities to take part in sand dam and climate-smart agriculture projects, and empower them to end hunger and achieve long-term food security.

  • Improving health and daily lives

    Improving health and daily lives

    Sand dams provide a safer water supply as the water stored below the surface is protected from evaporation, contamination and waterborne diseases.

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Registered in England & Wales No. 4432166. Registered charity No. 1094478

Sand Dams Worldwide, 7-14 Great Dover Street London, SE1 4YR, United Kingdom

Registered Isle of Man charity No. 1147. Registered Isle of Man company No. 128231C

Sand Dams Worldwide IOM, Isle of Man, 1 Windsor Road, Douglas, Isle of Man IM1 3JX