You’re Making History

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we’ve officially raised the funds to serve a cumulative 15,477,279 people.

Wherever you are, feel free to break out into a happy dance, a round of applause, buy your favorite celebration snack, or just pat yourself on the back. We won’t judge. You deserve it.

And, honestly, we’re pretty excited, too.

This milestone hasn’t come easily. It’s taken the generosity of over a million supporters around the world. It’s been made possible by children (like our Tiny Heroes) who donated the profits from their lemonade stands , athletes who fundraised by running hundreds of miles across the U.S., and others who simply chose to give what they could.

All to transform the lives of 15,477,279 people they will likely never meet.

Let’s put that into perspective.

It can feel challenging to picture 15 thousand people, let alone 15 million! But this might help:

• 15,477,279 centimeters would stretch the distance between New York City and Washington D.C.
• 15,477,279 pounds would weigh as much as 1,002 African elephants.
• 15,477,279 seconds is the equivalent of five months and 26 days.
• 15,477,279 people is more than the populations of London, Paris, and Los Angeles combined.
• 15,477,279 miles is far enough to travel to the moon and back 32 times.

The math matters. A lot.

The numbers equip us to plan for the future and learn from the past. They’re essential to our commitment to set new standards for transparency and proof in the nonprofit industry—a promise we’ve kept since the beginning. (Actually, you can see every project we’ve ever completed right here.)

We spend a lot of time calculating these types of facts and figures. Our Revenue team works tirelessly to steward every donation with excellence. The Programs team collaborates with our local partners to ensure they feel empowered to set attainable goals and exceed them.

We’re proud of our hard work and the compassion of the global community. But for exhausted optimists or “the-glass-of-clean-water-is-half-empty” types, we understand that 15.5 million people served could still seem like a drop in the ocean. (Should I ease off the water puns? Never.)

Around 703 million people are still awaiting clean water, even though, thankfully, the numbers are improving. The reality that between 6% and 10% of people are risking their lives drinking dirty water should sober our hearts and ready our hands for action.

Still, we can choose to treat every small step toward a more equitable world like a massive victory.

Fundamentally, the water crisis is about people, not percentages. It’s about moms and dads and grandmothers and neighbors and best friends.

It’s the extra moments of laughter in the morning, because now a father can send his daughters off to school with breakfast and a smile—instead of walking a mile to the river for dirty water.

It’s the peace of mind a mom has knowing she can make enough income to send her children to university, a dream once out of reach because of the financial burden of treating their waterborne illnesses.

It’s about empowering people in rural communities to live the lives they deserve: lives of health, peace of mind, and equity.

So, when one person is given clean water—whether it’s a child in Cambodia or a dad in Zimbabwe—it’s like you’re changing the whole world.

Because you’re changing one person’s whole world.

You’ve helped us fund clean water for 15,477,279 people. But, even more incredibly, you’ve helped us change the world 15 million times over.

We’re so glad you’re here. Thank you for your support of our mission. Clean water for more than 15 million people is an incredible start, but we won’t stop until everyone, everywhere, has access to life’s most basic need.

When we work together to build a brighter future, nothing is impossible.