David Jordan talks sand dams with Isle of Man TV

Isle of Man TV interview Excellent's Chairman to find out more about the funding by the Isle of Man Government of sand dams in Kenya, which will help thousands of people achieve lifelong access to safe water.

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Have your donations doubled - The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2020

This year Excellent will be taking part in the Challenge once again, this time aiming to raise £75,000 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

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.
Kyeni Primary School water tank - a short film by the Africa Sand Dam Foundation

Our partners in southeast Kenya, the Africa Sand Dam Foundation, document the impact of Kyeni Primary School's water tank.
Ethiopia (Partner: Action for Development)

The project with Action for Development will implement four pilot sand dams across four communities in South Omo Zone in southern Ethiopia. The communities will enhance their food security through climate-smart agriculture, while the sand dams will provide year-round access to clean water.

"The future looks bright"

From water and food scarcity to lush mango and papaya farms, this community share how their climate-smart agriculture activities have transformed their lives.
Excellent founder is finalist in UN Land for Life award

Excellent Development founder and former Executive Director, Simon Maddrell, has been shortlisted for the 2019 UN #Land4life award.
“The last three years have been fruitful… there is a wave of change”

Our partners in southeast Kenya report on the progress Wonu Witu self-help group have made since the start of their sand dam project and climate-smart agriculture training.
Sand dam projects keeping communities "young" and healthy

Meet two southeast Kenyan farmers to discuss the impact on the people and their land since their sand dam projects started in 2014.
What a difference a year makes

Excellent's Communications Manager, Dwain Lucktung, revisits Heka Heka Syomwambya self-help group in southeast Kenya to see what impact their sand dam project has had on community members.
Barclays Isle of Man build a sand dam

Excellent's Chairman, David Jordan OBE, reviews another successful sand dam expedition, this time with Barclays Isle of Man volunteers who helped to raise £40,000 for a new sand dam in southeast Kenya.
"We feel we now have what was missing”

Through partnering with Africa Sand Dam Foundation and Excellent, Woni Witu self-help group's achievements include building four sand dams and three shallow wells, made possible through generous funding from the Isle of Man Government.
Excellent Development Isle of Man

Please donate what you can to transform lives with sand dams and clean water.
"These are life-changing projects"

Katelembu Mazingira Initiative self-help group is made up of people from Kithatu village (in Makueni County, southeast Kenya), and they are the proud beneficiaries of our 1,000th sand dam (funded by the Isle of Man Government).
Excellent meets Manx supporters at Tynwald Day Fair 2018

Highlights from the event, including all the wonderful Manx supporters we met.

What is a sand dam?
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

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

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

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