Our history

The Thirsty Third World Conference brings members of the UK water industry together. They decide to unite, to reach the millions of people living without clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

WaterAid is officially established on 21 July 1981 in the UK. Our first projects start in Zambia and Sri Lanka.

We’re working with local partners in ten countries.

Your support has helped us to reach 350,000 people. 

We begin work on our 1,000th project.

We fund the Hitosa Gravity Scheme, the largest single water supply scheme in Ethiopia, reaching 50,000 people.

Our first advocacy report, Mega-slums: The coming sanitary crisis, is released. 

Thanks to amazing people like you and our partners around the world, we've enabled over six million people to build a better life.  

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aim to halve the number of people living without clean water by 2015.

Alongside other groups, we successfully lobby to get sanitation added to the list of MDGs.

The UN declares clean water a human right.

We're now working in 15 countries.

WaterAid becomes a global organisation, welcoming America and Australia as members.

The UN declares an International Year of Sanitation. With toilets still a neglected topic, we address the UN commission for sustainable development, highlighting their importance.

WaterAid Sweden is founded.

We've reached 13.4 million people with clean water and 8.1 million with decent toilets.

Access to decent toilets is declared a human right.

WaterAid international is founded, to help country members and programmes within the WaterAid federation work together effectively and efficiently.

Your support for our Big Dig appeal raises over £2 million for our work in rural Malawi, bringing clean water, toilets and hygiene to more than 134,000 people.

WaterAid Japan is founded. We also join forces with charity WaterCan, who go on to become WaterAid Canada.

In May, we launch an ambitious new global strategy to reach everyone, everywhere with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

WaterAid India celebrate becoming a WaterAid member.

We've reached 27 million people with clean water, 27 million with decent toilets and 20 million people with good hygiene, and counting...