Water is essential to life, yet 844 million people in the world – 1 in 9 – lack access to it. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, the water crisis is one of the most pressing global risks in terms of impact on society. At least 10% of the world’s population still…
Water is essential to life, yet 844 million people in the world – 1 in 9 – lack access to it. According to a report by the World Economic Forum, the water crisis is one of the most pressing global risks in terms of impact on society. At least 10% of the world’s population still live without safe water to drink, One in three people live without a decent toilet. As a result, 500,000 children die every year.
Around the world, many people have to walk long distances to find a water source. Others have to wait in long lines and pay large percentages of their income to secure any water at all.
The water crisis also disproportionately affects women and children. Women carry the burden of collecting water and caring for sick children. Girls often fail to finish their education because of a lack of toilets in schools.
Public health also depends on safe water, sanitation, and good hygiene. Without these services, deadly outbreaks of diseases such as cholera and Ebola are likely to be more prevalent. The impact of infectious diseases will be exacerbated.
On the other hand, access to clean safe water can turn problems into potential: unlocking education, economic prosperity, and improved health.
While we wish we could recognize every water conservation organization and clean water charities, that has made a contribution to water preservation efforts, there are far too many remarkable organizations to fit into one blog post. So, here is our list of
Mission
charity: water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.
How
Their partners select water point locations based on geography and assessments of need. Then, they also consider the potential for building strong relationships with local stakeholders, the risk of overlap with the work of other organizations, and the availability of spare parts and repair services. Additionally, a community’s willingness to participate is important, since strong programs require buy-in and participation to sustain water points over time. charity: water work with sector experts to know which approaches are most effective to deliver water, sanitation, and hygiene services in developing countries.
Size/Staff: 73
Impact
They’ve funded 38,113 water projects for 9.6 million people in 24 countries around the world. In the last nine years, the organization dug more than 16,000 water projects, raised more than $200 million from donors, and set new standards for donor engagement and public communication.
Countries
Over 24 countries in Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Mission
To ensure everyone has access to safe water and sanitation by removing barriers and advocating for system change.
How
Their WaterCredit Initiative® solution uses microfinancing in new ways to bring small, easily repayable loans to those who need access to affordable financing and resources to make household water and sanitation solutions a reality. Water.org helps people gain access to clean water and sanitation by teaching, training, and guiding local micro-finance institutions to make loans for providing access to clean water and sanitation. One of Water.org’s central tenets is the concept of community ownership of any water project(s).
Size/Staff: 100+
Impact
They have empowered more than 10 million people with access to safe water and sanitation.
Countries
13 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Mission
Blood: Water is an equipping agency that partners with African grassroots organizations to address the water and HIV/AIDS crises. Their mission is to address the water crisis in Eastern Africa by focusing on individuals who were affected by HIV/AIDS. By increasing their awareness and education Blood: Water hopes to improve the longevity of people suffering from the autoimmune disorder and reduce the stress of access to drinkable water.
How
Blood: Water provides technical, financial, and organizational support so that African civil society organizations expand the reach and effectiveness in the communities they serve. Through outreach and intimate knowledge of the areas where they work, their partners identify and empower local heroes to champion issues affecting the health of community members. Water committees are formed and maintenance teams are trained prior to the implementation of a water point. People who adopt healthy behaviors and see the health benefits in their own lives begin to share with their neighbors what they’ve learned about safe sanitation and hygiene.
Size/Staff : N/A (10+)
Impact
They have partnered with moreover 800 communities in Africa, providing life-saving water and health needs for over 500,000 people in 13 different countries. Along the way, their 1000 Wells Project has expanded to include a variety of clean water solutions and sanitation and hygiene training, as well as funding health clinics, community health workers, and support groups, which help in the prevention, treatment, care, and support of communities affected by AIDS, incorporating HIV/AIDS-specific programming alongside ongoing water programming.
Countries
N/A
5+
Mission
Their vision is a world where everyone, everywhere has safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. Their mission is to transform the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people by improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
How
Water Aid has a unique two-tiered approach to solving the water crisis.
They have field offices around the world that, together with local partners, help communities access clean water, decent toilets, and good hygiene.
They also work with key decision-makers in all layers of government, both in the US and internationally, to do more to provide these vital services.
Size/Staff: N/A
Impact
Water Aid got clean water to 321,000 people in households, 148,000 people in schools, and 971,000 people in healthcare centers. They worked with governments to change 14 national policies, strategies or standards, and have improved water service management in 26 urban public utilities. They also strengthened management capacity to deliver clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene in 84 rural districts.
Countries
34 countries around the world.
Mission
Their mission is to build wells and sanitation systems at schools throughout sub-Saharan Africa, enabling youth to fully harness the life-changing power of education. Their goal is to provide schools and communities with tools they need to improve child health, increase school enrolment rates and promote gender equality.
How
They build wells and sanitation systems at schools and teach the importance of clean water, hands and living spaces – empowering children (particularly girls) to go to school instead of spending hours fetching water. Their commitment involves more than just drilling a well, they also train the local community in basic well maintenance, so that the wells are fully sustainable.
Size/Staff: N/A
Impact
As of December 2016, DROP has completed over 350 wells across sub-Saharan Africa.
Countries
N/A
Activities across sub-Saharan Africa.
Mission
H2O for Life provides a service-learning opportunity for schools in the United States that helps teachers and students raise awareness about the global water crisis while taking action to provide funds for water, sanitation, and hygiene education project for a partner school in the developing world.
How
1,683 schools around the U.S. and Canada that have participated with H2O for Life. Students have made a difference by organizing walks for water, water fairs, bucket drives, and a host of other events that have raised $3.5 million dollars. Those funds are matched 1-to-1 by H2O For Life NGO partners who design and implement their WASH projects at the local recipient school communities. This funding model has provided a $7 million-dollar impact for much-needed programs in schools around the world.
Size/Staff: N/A
Impact
Since 2007, nearly 1 million students (and thousands of teachers) from H2O for Life schools have supported water, sanitation, and hygiene education projects for partner schools in the developing world. 937 water, sanitation, and hygiene education projects were completed at schools and 414,000 international students now have access to water at school.
Countries: N/A
Mission
“We clean water for kids.”
Splash is a social justice organization committed to the poor, an international development agency disciplined around urban economies, a social enterprise dedicated to putting ourselves out of business, and a safe water company focused on children.
How
Splash develops customized water interventions, installing commercial-grade water filtration systems that remove 99.9999% of bacterial pathogens to meet or exceed World Health Organization standards. They also provide durable, child-friendly drinking and handwashing stations so that kids can access the water easily. Their colorful station designs have been developed and field-tested through multiple iterations to make sure that kids are excited to use them. Splash encourages long-term behavior change by instilling in kids, teachers, staff, and parents the value of safe drinking water and good hygiene throughout their lives.
Size/Staff: N/A (50+)
Impact
Because of Splash, over 1,600 child-serving institutions now provide clean water for over 400,000 kids. By the end of 2016, they had reached over 308,000 kids, teachers, and staff through hygiene event days and 110,000 kids through direct training. Their first pilot intervention at 20 schools in Nepal focused on basic improvements and behavior change cues. By the end of 2016, Splash had completed sanitation pilots at an additional ten schools in India and Ethiopia, improving nearly 300 toilets in total.
Countries
7+
Ethiopia, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand
Mission
“Our mission is simple: Build a socially-conscious generation of young people who END the global water crisis. We do this by educating students about it and activating them to rock the clean water cause & build real water projects all over the world.”
How
Thirst Project is the only water organization that caters exclusively to educating young people about the water crisis & equips them with the tools to bring it to an end.
Size/Staff: N/A (7+)
Impact
In just six years, the Thirst Project has activated more than 600,000 students on 800 campuses across the United States. Students have been the driving force in helping them raise over 8 million dollars, giving clean water to 13 different countries and over 280,000 people.
Countries
13+
Mission
“Every year, over one billion people are harmed by waterborne illnesses. But the SunSpring technology has the potential to kick these diseases to the curb.
Thus, our mission was born:
Safe drinking water to 1 billion people by December 31, 2020.”
How
When it comes to resolving the World Water Crisis there’s one elite approach: WASH. Implemented by UNICEF, the term WASH stands for a set of three interrelated initiatives:
Water, Sanitation, Hygiene. The most important tenet of WASH is that you can’t have one component without the other two. WATERisLIFE uses WASH as a foundation for each of its projects.
WATERisLIFE also developed a water filtration product called The Straw which provides clean drinking water when immersed in a water source. The innovative device lasts up to a year and removes waterborne diseases with each sip. They also teach sanitation and hygiene education, as well as research and implement sustainable long-lasting clean water solutions that are tailored to each community, and monitored to ensure the longevity of clean water sources.
Size/Staff: N/A
Impact
Countries
Haiti, Africa, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and South America
Mission
Their vision is a world where every person has access to reliable and safe water and sanitation services. Water For People exists to promote the development of high-quality drinking water and sanitation services, accessible to all, and sustained by strong communities, businesses, and governments.
How
Water For People never fully funds water and sanitation infrastructure, because they want to make sure the districts they work with are invested in their own water and sanitation services. Individuals, communities, and governments become their partners, bringing their support, labor, skills, and money to every project.
Size/Staff: N/A (40+)
Impact
Water For People has been in Guatemala since 1997. In the years following its first work, more than 100 water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives were implemented throughout the country. From 1997 to 2006, Water For People–Honduras worked with partner organizations in over 90 rural communities. Water For People began working in Bolivia in 1997. Since then, they’ve developed a strategic program to address water and sanitation needs in four rural municipalities.
Countries
9 countries around the world: Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Peru, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and India.
UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 calls to ensure universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for all by 2030.
Access to clean water changes everything; it’s a stepping-stone to development. When people gain access to clean water, they are better able to practice good hygiene and sanitation. Children enjoy good health and are more likely to attend school. Lives of women and children improve. Parents put aside their worries about water-related diseases and lack of access to clean water. Instead, they can water crops and livestock and diversify their incomes. Communities develop and thrive.
Ultimately, the goal is to ensure that communities value and demand clean water, hygienic environments, and decent sanitation as their basic human right. And these 10 water nonprofits are at the forefront of the battle!
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Happy fundraising!
Ilma Ibrisevic is a content creator and nonprofit writer. She’s passionate about meaningful work, sustainability, and social movements. If she’s not working, she’s obsessing over coffee or cooking. You can connect with her on Linkedin.
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Ilma Ibrisevic
