Yolanda is a Chartered Civil Engineer with considerable experience in the water industry. In 2009 she founded a charitable organisation 'Haki Water' to research and develop innovative engineering solutions to promote sustainable water management in developing countries, starting in Kenya. Yolanda's project aims to build on her initial findings to assess in detail the sustainability and environmental impacts of constructing well projects in the urban slums of Nairobi.

Her initial research indicates that many well projects are executed as a 'single-solution' option and lack a sustainable approach including plans for long-term maintenance. The key objective of her project is to develop a sustainable approach to implement innovative and cost efficient solutions, providing a long-term value to the people and communities served. It is hoped that the outputs of Yolanda's project will better inform the industry practice and encourage evidence based decision making. Her project completed in March 2011.