‘Small Charity Big Achiever’ Award for Excellent Development

Brentford charity builds sand dams and saves lives, simply and cheaply

Brentford based Charity Excellent Development won this year’s Third Sector Excellence Award for ‘Small Charity Big Achiever’ and has now been chosen as one of four charities in this year’s Daily Telegraph Christmas Appeal.

Since the charity was formed in 2002, funds raised by Excellent Development have enabled over 200,000 people in one of the driest areas of Africa to gain access to year-round clean water, grow food and generate income.

Sand dams are the cheapest possible form of rainwater harvesting - just £7 per person provides clean year-round water for life. They provide a simple technology by which communities can gain access to this clean water, were recently voted the best solution to the global water crisis at the Earthwatch Debate

Hardly anyone has heard of sand dams, or how effective they can be, so that is part of Excellent Development's mission – to help them be used more widely and more effectively, as they are the cheapest way of providing clean water in dry areas.

November 27, 2009