• Excellent Development addresses lack of access to water by combining sand dam building with terracing and tree planting. As a result, this sustainably improves water collecting, the reliability of food availability, and local economic capacity.

• The concept is simple but effective, is appropriate to the geographic conditions, is a long-term solution, and is locally sustainable. The idea combines attention to necessities and basic hygeine factors with local environmental and economic development and income stabilisation.

• Excellent Development is a new and rapidly growing charity run out of the UK and Kenya by two very dedicated individuals. The charity was the overall winner in the UK Charity Awards in 2008, as well as the environmental category winner.

• Goals for the year end 2011: build 300 sand dams; dig 1,000km of terracing; plant 1 million trees; reach 73,000 direct and 6 million indirect beneficiaries.

• The process involves community self-help groups who are committed to the approach and who must provide substantial practical input.

• Without Excellent Development, women and children have no alternative to long-distance water and firewood collection. This impoverishes the wider community as there is less time for income generating activities, for community involvement, or to go to school. Five hours a day can be saved by having the sand dams.

• With further research, the model has implications for community economic development policy on a potentially global development stage.