Local charity wins top award at star-studded ceremony
A charity set up to help disadvantaged communities in rural Africa to improve their water supplies, food production, health and incomes using environmental and sustainable methods, has won the overall award for excellence at the Charity Awards 2008. Excellent Development was presented with the award at a gala dinner last night (19th June) by actress Prunella Scales and chief executive of overall sponsor the Charities Aid Foundation, John Low CBE, in front of 1,000 of the charity world's most senior representatives and celebrity guests.
Set up by Simon Maddrell in 2002 the charity helps people in Kenya to sustainably transform their environments by building sand dams, planting trees and creating terraced land to improve soil and water conservation and enable increased food production. Run with the help of Kenyan farmer Joshua Mukusya, the organisation has worked with its community self-help group partners to build 158 sand dams, and helped 47 communities set up tree nurseries and terrace land. All of the projects have been successful, in some cases far beyond expectations because of the communities' drive and determination to change their lives.
The judges were impressed with the sheer scale of what Excellent Development has achieved on its resources and the demonstrable impact its innovative work has clearly had on people and their environment in the area of Kenya in which it works. The fact that the idea has great potential to be repeated in other areas was also noted.
The ceremony, the ninth annual Charity Awards event to take place, is the most prestigious national voluntary sector awards scheme in the UK and was the first to recognise excellence in the management of charities, acknowledging the outstanding work and achievements of charities from across the UK and the tireless commitment of the people behind them. Ainsley Harriott, Claudia Winkleman, Terry Waite, the Rt Hon David Blunkett, John Craven and Lauren Laverne were among the other celebrities presenting awards in 10 categories.
Daniel Phelan, organiser of the Charity Awards 2008 commented, "Excellent Development is a fantastic example of how innovation, passion and vision can be turned into an effective project demonstrating considerable impact. The project greatly impressed the judges with how its excellent management led to a great idea being implemented across so many communities. The initiative is both sustainable and replicable and is a perfect illustration of the inspirational work that takes place within the voluntary sector by charities ranging in size from those with a couple of volunteers operating on limited resources to the largest household names."
Simon Maddrell, Excellent Development's founder and executive director adds, "We are delighted to be recognised by the Charity Awards for our work in enabling Kenyan rural communities to develop through the conservation of the environment. We hope that this award will highlight the huge benefits of sand dam technology and our soil and water conservation model of terracing land and planting trees."
The Charity Awards programme is organised by Charity Finance, the leading business publication for the voluntary sector. The Charity Awards 2008 is sponsored by CAF (Charities Aid Foundation).
The Charity Awards 2008 is organised by Charity Finance, the leading business publication for the voluntary sector. The distinguished panel of judges included John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, Maeve Sherlock OBE, former chief executive of the Refugee Council, Ian Allsop, editor of Charity Finance, Dame Jo Williams, chief executive of Mencap, David Harker, chief executive of Citizens Advice , and Bharat Mehta OBE, chief executive of the City Parochial Foundation.
July 4, 2008
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