Why Water?
For people in developing countries, clean water can change everything.
703 million people in the world live without clean water.1
That’s nearly 1 in 10 people worldwide. Or, twice the population of the United States. The majority live in isolated rural areas and spend hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep children out of school or take up time that parents could be using to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that can make everyone sick.
But access to clean water means education, income and health - especially for women and kids.
Clean water changes everything.
Health
Diseases from dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.
Children under-five are on average more than 20 times more likely to die from illnesses linked to unsafe water and bad sanitation than from conflict.2
Time
Every day, women and girls around the world spend an estimated 200 million hours collecting water.3 4
Access to clean water gives communities more time to grow food, earn an income, and go to school -- all of which fight poverty.
Education
Clean water helps keep kids in school, especially girls.
Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month.
Learn MoreWomen Empowerment
Women and girls are responsible for water collection in 8 out of 10 households with water off premises.5
When a community gets water, women and girls get their lives back. They start businesses, improve their homes, and take charge of their own futures.
How do we tackle the water crisis?
We work with local experts and community members to find the best sustainable solution in each place where we work, whether it’s a well, a piped system, a BioSand Filter, or a system for harvesting rainwater. And with every water point we fund, our partners coordinate sanitation and hygiene training, and establish a local Water Committee to help keep water flowing for years to come.
Learn MoreAccess to clean water changed the lives of Hadjara, Umu, Natalia, and Devison. Read their stories.
Hadjara learned about the importance of handwashing in school. Then she went home and taught her family about it, too. Now, her family is healthier than ever.
Meet HadjaraSince her village received clean water, Umu has had lots more time to braid hair. Now, business is booming.
Meet UmuBefore Natalia’s village had a clean water tap, she often didn’t have time for school. Now, she goes to school every day and she’s the President of her local Water Committee. And she’s just getting started.
Meet NataliaDevison decided it wasn’t fair for him to go to school while his sister walked to get water. So he decided to do something.
Meet DevisonEvery $1 invested in joint water supply and sanitation provides a $4.30 economic return.6
It’s a solid investment; access to clean water is perhaps the single most powerful tool for sparking economic growth that humanity has ever known.
Donate NowSources
- JMP, 2019
- UNICEF, 2019
- https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2016/08/at-start-of-world-water-week-unicef-highlights-how-girls-lose-time-collecting-water/
- Progress on Sanitation and Drinking-water: 2010 Update.
- WHO/UNCIEF report 2017
- World Health Organization (2012). Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach the MDG target and universal coverage. Geneva, Switzerland.