1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2050

Sand Dams Worldwide (formerly Excellent Development) plans to support the construction of 1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2050, in turn helping millions of people living in drylands to access clean water and food, restore degraded land, rebuild their livelihoods and regreen local environments. Read about our strategy to help more people transform their own lives and land with sand dams here:

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Please donate what you can to help more dryland communities transform their own lives and land with sand dams

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£30

could provide a farmer with drought-resistant seeds, so they can feed and support their family.

£60

could provide a roll of barbed wire to reinforce a sand dam, anchoring it to the bedrock.

£100

could provide 500 seedlings and a spray pump, to protect the trees from insects

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Latest

Jobs at Sand Dams Worldwide: Consultant (External Evaluation)

Sand Dams Worldwide is seeking a consultant to deliver an External Evaluation of our 4-year project: Reducing Hunger in Rural Mozambique through Sand Dams and Climate Smart Agriculture funded by Fondation Ensemble.
Sand Dams: a lifeline for Tsavo’s endangered elephants

We are trying to raise £25,000 that will go towards a sand dam in Kenya's Tsavo Conservation Area that will help elephants and other wildlife through a lifetime of future droughts.
Advent of Change: best-selling Christmas charity range is back for 2023

We’re excited to be part of Advent of Change’s 2023 charity network!
£108,965.45 raised in Big Give 2023 - thank you!

Between November 28th and December 5th 2023 Sand Dams Worldwide took part in the The Big Give Christmas Challenge, raising £108,965.45 to fund two sand dams and implement a range of land conservation measures in southern Ethiopia.

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.

We support communities to build sustainable sand dams in some of the poorest, drought-stricken regions across our world.
What is a sand dam?
Donate

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

Conservation of the environment is critical to the economic development of people living in drylands.
Watch how sand dams work

Film explaining how sand dams work and their potential impact in the world's drylands
Act Now: Tackle Food Crisis With Sand Dams

Support dryland communities to overcome food shortages, and ensure they can grow enough food to eat and sell. It all starts with ensuring they have access to water. That’s where sand dams come in.
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 2050

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.
Sand dam manual

For everything you need to know about building sand dams, click here to read (and download for free!), Sand Dams: A Practical & Technical Manual.
Our approach

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