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Joshua Silu Mukusya was born in the Machakos district of Kenya in 1948. He studied agriculture in eastern Kenya and after leaving home for several years, to work in various agricultural roles, he returned to his native village of Utooni when his father died in 1978.

As the eldest son, Joshua felt responsible for taking care of his mother and family. However, following his experiences in other parts of Kenya, Joshua was also motivated to take on other responsibilities.

He was driven by a promise he made to his parents when he was 20. While at primary school, Joshua used to be responsible for collecting water very early in the morning and at 3pm in the afternoon, after school.

There was a spring 4km away but during the frequent droughts the nearest source of water was 8km away - a long way to walk twice a day.

As Joshua recounted: "When I was 20 years old I promised my parents that I would do something about water because I didn't want my children to be walking all that way every day".

It didn't take him long. In 1978, Joshua set up the Utooni Development Project (UDP) with the help of six sympathetic families who shared his convictions about the value of self-help projects.

Within three years, 75 families were committed to the work of UDP, whose motto, "Without Vision We Perish", has inspired thousands of people to improve their lives and their communities.

Joshua Mukusya has been responsible for building 8,500 rainwater collection tanks, 140 sand dams and 13,000 km of soil conserving terraces in farmers' fields. His community has built and maintained a technology-training centre in needlework, masonry and carpentry for secondary school leavers.

A maternal health centre is awaiting government funding for staff and facilities. And members of the community gain a small annual income from renting out accommodation that they built communally.

A comment by Joshua gives some indication of the extent of his contribution to his local community. He reflects: "If my father could come back from his grave, he would not recognise his home and this valley. When he died in 1978, there were very few trees and the area was very dry. We had problems getting enough food to eat."

Click here to read a tribute to Joshua by Simon Maddrell