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  1. Support us
  2. Join an expedition
  3. About our expeditions

About our expeditions

Give a Dam and transform lives

Excellent Development offers a range of expeditions where you can get involved in building a sand dam. It's hard work - but there's a job to suit every ability, and what better way to learn about the miracle of sand dams than to go and build one yourself?

What and where?

On an expedition with Excellent Development, you’ll stay in a small Kenyan town, learn about people's daily life, their challenges and hopes. You’ll join them in building a sand dam and see for yourself just how it’s done and what it means. Your efforts in supporting the build of a sand dam (providing nearby lifelong access to water to the community) will be rewarded with an experience that will stay with you for the rest of your life and make a real difference for a rural community in Kenya.

Most travellers to Kenya don't get the chance to take part in a trip like this. So, whether you're looking for a gap year challenge, a break with a difference, a different way to donate, or a way to get your company involved - an expedition could be just the thing for you.

Expedition choices and how to apply

There are two different ways you can join an expedition: You can either join our annual sand dam expedition (see dates above), or talk to us about creating a bespoke expedition organised just for your group.

1. Excellent Sand Dam expedition: 1 week

Excellent organises an expedition every year. Enjoy a sense of team achievement and help transform lives. To find out more, read our expedition FAQs, or email [email protected] if you're interested in joining our next expedition.

2. Bespoke Expeditions: 1 week

We often create specific expeditions for teams of people from school groups to law firms. Get in touch at [email protected] to find out how we could help organise your special expedition.

February 2020 sand dam expedition - hear from the volunteers!

February 2020 sand dam expedition - hear from the volunteers!

Hear from the Excellent Development volunteers who worked together to support the Muka self-help group build a sand dam. Read more

Published: 13th April, 2020

Author: Dwain Lucktung

September 2019 sand dam expedition with Jersey Overseas Aid

September 2019 sand dam expedition with Jersey Overseas Aid

Jersey Overseas Aid volunteers and community members share highlights from the construction of a sand dam they worked together to build in southeast Kenya in September 2019. Read more

Published: 23rd October, 2019

Updated: 21st September, 2020

Author: Dwain Lucktung

September 2018 sand dam expedition with Barclays Isle of Man

September 2018 sand dam expedition with Barclays Isle of Man

Barclays Isle of Man volunteers and community members share highlights from the construction of a sand dam they worked together to build in southeast Kenya in September 2018. Read more

Published: 24th October, 2018

Updated: 24th October, 2019

Author: Dwain Lucktung

July 2018 sand dam expedition - hear from the volunteers and the community!

July 2018 sand dam expedition - hear from the volunteers and the community!

Hear from the Excellent Development volunteers and community members who worked together to build a sand dam in southeast Kenya in July 2018. Read more

Published: 23rd August, 2018

Updated: 3rd October, 2018

Author: Dwain Lucktung

Excellent development sand dam expedition FAQs

Excellent development sand dam expedition FAQs

Here are some of the most common questions about our sand dam expeditions. And we've done our best to answer them for you! Read more

Published: 1st March, 2018

Updated: 11th October, 2018

Author: Dwain Lucktung

A week to remember - sand dam expedition 2014

In 2014, nine supporters travelled out to Kenya to help the Athiani Farmers' self-help group build a sand dam. Read more

Published: 2nd March, 2014

Updated: 23rd August, 2018

Author: Dwain Lucktung

“I was really proud of what we achieved”

“I was really proud of what we achieved”

In May 2013, a group of volunteers travelled to Kenya to help build a sand dam with the Mutethya self-help group. The expedition was organised in partnership with TRAIN, a youth work charity that supports vulnerable young people in the UK. Read more

Published: 1st March, 2014

Updated: 11th October, 2018

Author: Dwain Lucktung

Excellent Development expedition with Quest Overseas

In this film, find out what happened when we teamed up with ethical adventure travel specialist, Quest Overseas, to support a community to build a sand dam. Quest offers gap year students the opportunity to get hands-on experience of sustainable development. Read more

Published: 1st March, 2014

Updated: 11th October, 2018

Author: Dwain Lucktung

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Showing 10 of 8

Latest

  • Excellent win 2020 iF Social Impact Prize!

    Excellent win 2020 iF Social Impact Prize!

    Excellent Development are awarded an International Forum Design GmbH (iF) Social Impact Prize for our sand dam project work in southeast Kenya.

  • Empower families to feed themselves

    Empower families to feed themselves

    We need your help so that we can continue to support more dryland communities to build sand dams and implement climate-smart farming, providing vital food and water supplies to vulnerable families.

  • £83,443 raised in Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020!

    £83,443 raised in Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020!

    In this year's Big Give Christmas Challenge you helped us raise over £80,000 to build two sand dams and implement a range of environmental protection measures in southern Zimbabwe.

  • Missing school and education due to COVID-19 and lack of water

    Missing school and education due to COVID-19 and lack of water

    Kasangi Simon, a 12-year-old pupil at Nzeluni Primary School, southeast Kenya, shares her experience coping with water shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what difference a school water tank would make.

Most read

  • What is a sand dam?

    What is a sand dam?

  • 1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2040

    1 million sand dams for 0.5 billion people by 2040

    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.

  • Donate

    Donate

    Please donate what you can to transform lives with sand dams and clean water.

  • Zimbabwe (Partner: Dabane Trust)

    Zimbabwe (Partner: Dabane Trust)

    Dabane Trust and Excellent are working together with rural communities in the semi-arid areas of Zimbabwe to develop simple, appropriate and sustainable water abstraction and food production systems.

  • Watch how sand dams work

    Watch how sand dams work

    Film explaining how sand dams work and their potential impact in the world's drylands

  • Sand dam manual

    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.

  • The challenge

    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.

  • Job opportunities

  • September 2018 sand dam expedition with Barclays Isle of Man

    September 2018 sand dam expedition with Barclays Isle of Man

    Barclays Isle of Man volunteers and community members share highlights from the construction of a sand dam they worked together to build in southeast Kenya in September 2018.

  • Working together with Rotary

    Working together with Rotary

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Registered in England & Wales No. 4432166. Registered charity No. 1094478

Excellent Development, 7-14 Great Dover Street London, SE1 4YR, United Kingdom