Axminster Rotary Club has continued it support for Excellent Development, a charity which organises the construction of sand-dams in dry lands such as parts of Kenya.

At their recent meeting members welcomed the organisation's chairman David Jordan and presented him with a cheque for £200, bringing the club's total contribution to £500.

The presentation was made by president Neil Pollard and Rotarian Ruth Waterhouse.

Mr Jordon explained that, in many parts of the third world, communities have no sources of nearby, safe, reliable water. Many hours every day are spent by even the youngest girls in carrying water from often distant water holes.

Such open sources are often polluted, causing diseases such as malaria and bilharzia.

A sand-dam can be constructed by the local community with only the need to bring in cement from outside.

A dam wall is constructed from concrete across a sandy river course in the dry season.

During the rains the wall holds back water and the upstream part of the dam fills with waterlogged sand.

The stored water is protected from evaporation by being in the sand, and the sand provides efficient biofiltration to purify the water.

Water is obtained either from temporary simple scoop holes, or from drainage to taps in the downstream face of the dam. The presence of these dams not only provides reliable, potable water for human communities, but also for agricultural irrigation. Of particular interest is the positive effects on wild life in the surrounding areas.

To find out more visit www.excellentdevelopment.com and the "Excellent Development" site on Facebook.