The water crisis

Every person needs a sustainable supply of clean water: for drinking, washing, cooking and cleaning. It is a basic human right and there are still 785 million people that do not have clean water. To date, governments, institutions and service providers around the world haven’t done enough to ensure clean water reaches the poorest and most marginalized people leaving millions of people underserved. In many countries, taps, wells and pipes delivering clean water simply do not exist and even where they do, water supply services are often not affordable or accessible, or aren’t designed to last.

How we do it

We have a unique two-tiered approach to solving the water crisis:

In the field or on The Hill

We have field offices around the world who, together with local partners, help communities access clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. But this is not all. To truly make an impact and speed up progress, we work with key decision-makers in all layers of government, both in the US and internationally, to do more to provide these vital services.

Roots on the ground

We only use practical technologies and make sure the right skills exist locally so that households, communities and service providers can keep services working long into the future. By working with local partners we’re able to deliver lasting change and empower the community. By investing locally, we know that they can continue the good work even after we’re gone.

Working together

However, the sheer scale of the challenge means that we can’t solve it alone. So we work with communities and supporters to convince governments and service providers to prioritize investment in clean water and toilets for their citizens.

Here's where you come in

And we couldn’t make all of this happen without you. The incredible generosity and commitment of all our supporters - individuals, institutions and companies - is behind everything we do.

Our impact

Together we can unlock people’s potential with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Without all three, people can’t live dignified, healthy lives. With all three, they are empowered and independent.  They can unlock their potential, break free from poverty, and change their lives for good. With clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, children are born healthier. They get the chance to go to school, and grow up to become educated adults. Women and men get to earn a living. Whole communities start to thrive, in terms of health and economically. Installing taps and toilets is essential, but we do so much more. To make lasting change happen on a massive scale we:

• Influence governments to change laws
• Link national and international policy makers with people on the ground
• Change attitudes and behaviors
• Work with others to pool knowledge and resources
• Rally support from people and organisations around the world