Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene are vital for living a dignified, healthy life.

Statistics can look stark. 1 in 5 people on the planet don't have a decent toilet of their own. 1 in 10 don't have clean water close to home.

But thanks to your incredible support, we’ve already reached millions of people in some of the toughest places in the world. We can’t stop there.

By working together, we can reach everyone, everywhere within a generation – and transform millions more lives for good.

 

 don’t have clean water close to home.

WHO/UNICEF (2021) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

don't have a decent toilet of their own.

WHO/UNICEF (2021) Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2020. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Globally,do not have clean water and lack decent toilets.

WHO/UNICEF (2022) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Over 300,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. 

Prüss-Ustün A, et al. (2019)

from infection caused by a lack of clean water and an unclean environment.

United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (2019) Levels and trends in child mortality, 2020 Report. New York: UNICEF

Globally, do not have soap and water for handwashing.

WHO/UNICEF (2022) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools. Joint Monitoring Programme. Geneva: World Health Organisation.

Every returns an average of $4 in increased productivity.

(WHO, 2012)

If everyone, everywhere could wash their hands with soap and water, it would reduce

WaterAid. (2021) Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery

If everyone, everywhere had clean water, the number of diarrhoeal

Prüss-Ustün et al. (2014) Burden of disease from inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene in low- and middle-income settings: a retrospective analysis of data from 145 co

Globally between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 we directly reached:

household members with clean water, with decent toilets, and 1.7 million with good hygiene.

(WaterAid, 2022)

school students with clean water,  with decent toilets, and with good hygiene.

(WaterAid, 2022)

Through healthcare centres, people gained access to clean water,  to decent toilets, and to good hygiene.

(WaterAid, 2022)

Numbers for households and schools = people who use these services every day. Numbers for healthcare facilities = the population each facility exists to serve, adjusted to reflect the scale of alternative / private provision.

People reached either through facilities or sustained promotion. Hygiene promotion numbers are estimates of people reached with hygiene promotion messages at least three times in a year through local marketing campaigns in communities, in schools and via local health services


 

The figures above refer to the people we directly reach through services delivered together with our partners. They only show part of our impact – to make lasting change happen on a massive scale, we also:

Through this work we benefit many more people than those shown above.

Ready to make a difference? Just a small gift can help change someone's life.

Get involved, your way

Join an event, fundraise with friends or find your own way to transform lives.

Give an unforgettable gift

We've got the perfect presents for every occasion in our Gifts for Life shop.