A British aid group is relying on volunteer labor in Kenyan farm areas to help develop programs with long-term impact and foster greater self-reliance in the villages where it works, the Telegraph reports.

Excellent Development, founded in 2002 by Briton Simon Maddrell and a Kenyan farmer and engineer, Joshua Mukusya, takes on projects requested by rural areas and builds them with local volunteers. Programs that emphasize local involvement and investment of time over direct aid handouts are gaining favor in global-development circles, the British newspaper reports.

Projects such as water-filtering sand dams and terracing soil to reduce erosion repay the investment of labor by making harvests more reliable and saving villagers hours now spent walking miles for clean water, Mr. Maddrell said. The local involvement lowers costs, adding nearly 50 percent to the value of contributions to the charity, he said.