Excellent Development Wins Nestlé Runner-up Prize.
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Nestlé were impressed by how Excellent supports communities to grow more food thanks to effective climate-smart agricultural techniques. Image ©Nestlé.
Excellent Development has been awarded one of two £63,000 runner-up prizes from the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value. With competition from 634 applicants from over 70 countries, Excellent Development is delighted with the award, which was announced in New Delhi on 05 November.
Simon Maddrell, Excellent Development’s Executive Director, was in New Delhi to collect the prize with Kyalo Matheka, Executive Director of Africa Sand Dam Foundation (ASDF) - our strategic partners in Kenya - and Musila Silu, ASDF’s Development Director.
Simon said: “We are delighted that Nestlé have recognised the potential of Sand Dams to impact rural development and water supplies in drylands worldwide. The prize money will be vital to help us scale-up the use of Sand Dams. But, we have already started talking to Nestlé about how they can help us create real shared value with their knowledge, expertise and network to leverage the significant change that Excellent and ASDF are seeking.”
The prize, launched in 2009, recognises high impact initiatives that are making a difference for local communities and enables them to expand to help others. It is awarded every two years to up to three innovative schemes relating to water, nutrition and rural development.
Excellent Development and ASDF were selected for their work in supporting self help communities in Kenya gain access to clean water through the construction of Sand Dams. Nestlé were particularly impressed by Excellent and ASDF’s community led holistic model of sustainable development.
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Nestlé group, praised the project, saying: “Excellent Development has helped local communities, particularly in Kenya, gain access to clean water through the construction of Sand Dams. Local communities are fully involved in the project, investing time and resources. Without the commitment of local people, the construction of Sand Dams would not be possible.
The prize fund of £63,000 will go a long way to supporting our pioneering work around the world.
Because the majority of people supported by Excellent Development are subsistence farmers who rely on the land and natural resources for survival and income, the impact of this project on local communities is great and we are proud to enable them to expand it.
Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Nestle Group.
We can replicate the same success stories that we have gathered in this area to areas beyond Africa, Beyond Kenya and all over the world.
Stephen Musyoka, Monitoring and Evaluation Manager, ASDF
