Our theory of change

See below the Sand Dams Worldwide (formerly Excellent Development) theory of change, which outlines our methodology and plan towards our long-term goals - a key part of Our Strategy to 2025.

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

Please select a donation amount (required)

£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

Other

Set up a regular payment Donate

Latest

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!
Have your donation doubled today! Big Give 2023

Between November 28th and December 5th we will be taking part in The Big Give Christmas Challenge, aiming to raise £100,000 to fund two sand dams and implement a range of land conservation measures in southern Ethiopia.
Bea and Zof birthday fundraise
Working with Ecosia to plant 200,000 trees across southeast Kenya (update)

Sand Dam Worldwide’s partnership with Ecosia launched in 2022 with the aim of planting 200,000 trees across southeast Kenya by the end of 2023.

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.