About us

WaterAid - Our Mission and Vision

Children from Umopia village.

Credit: WaterAid / Jim Holmes

WaterAid is a leading independent organisation that enables the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene education. We work and campaign globally with our partners to realise our vision of a world where everyone has access to these basic human rights.

These most basic services are essential to life; without them vulnerable communities are trapped in the stranglehold of disease and poverty.

We work by helping local organisations set up low cost, sustainable projects using appropriate technology that can be managed by the community itself.

We also seek to influence the policies of other key organisations, such as governments, to secure and protect the right of poor people to safe, affordable water and sanitation services.

Realising the vision

We aim above all to be honest, accountable, effective, innovative and flexible. As a learning organisation, we are constantly evolving. An emphasis on research, analysis, evaluation and dissemination is vital to our future.

We rely on every member of the team - partners, donors, staff, volunteers and trustees. It is only when all parties work together that we can realise our shared vision of a world in which everyone has access to safe water and effective sanitation.
We work in both rural and urban areas, and currently have programmes in 17 countries in Africa and Asia.

As we grow and strive to make a significant impact on poor people's access to safe water and sanitation, our work is governed by our beliefs and values.

Read the WaterAid Nigeria Country Strategy for 2006-2011

Background 

WaterAid came to Nigeria in 1995 and built a successful reputation from its early work in Oju, one of Nigeria's 774 local government areas (LGAs). The programme expanded steadily and by 2006 operated in 30 LGAs in 6 of the country's 36 states.

With a population of about 130m, Nigeria is a major player in Africa influencing the policy direction in the continent. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa depends greatly on Nigeria.

The country has a poverty reduction strategy called the National Economic Empowerment & Development Strategy (NEEDS). It estimates that 90m Nigerians live in poverty in 2006 (70% of the population).

It has a GDP growth rate of 2.7% as against a population growth rate of 2.9%. Urban poverty is currently 45% and increasing rapidly.  The infant mortality rate is 167 per 1000 and each year there are 300,000 deaths due to diarrhoea, malaria and typhoid, which together account for 70% of child mortality and morbidity.

Water supply coverage is 60% in urban and 55% in rural areas. Sanitation coverage is 75% in urban and 44% in rural areas. There are significant issues of poor water quality, conflict in usage and demand management. Sector funding is low and inefficient.

Nigeria has a 3 tier system of Federal, State and Local Governments, each having different responsibilities for the funding, provision and management of water, sanitation and hygiene. The National Water and Sanitation Policy, as well as the NEEDS document, propose to shift management of water and sanitation to local government.

Yet the LGAs have limited authority, funding and capacity which constrain their ability to meet their growing statutory obligations. Political bias has greatly influenced resource allocation and generally excludes the very poor and voiceless.

Increasing poverty and powerlessness further constrain access to water supply and sanitation for the most vulnerable and those most in need of the services. Weak coordination, confusion in roles and responsibilities, lack of monitoring and understanding of constraints in the sector have also affected service delivery in terms of sector investments, effectiveness, duplication, inequitable access and poor sustainability.