Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene are basic human rights.
They should be a normal part of daily life for everyone, everywhere – but they aren't. That's why we're here.
We are the largest global, not-for-profit focused solely on sustainable, clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
We're stronger together
We make a bigger impact because we know the power of working together.
Collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. We work in alliances. Over the next decade, together we will reach hundreds of millions more people so that whole communities can live healthy lives and build better futures.
Together with our supporters and partners around the world – from the smallest neighbourhood groups to the largest multinationals – we have reached close to 30 million people with clean water and 30 million with decent toilets. Good hygiene is now a part of everyday life for 27.8 million people.
We work in partnerships
Together with communities, civil society, governments, the private sector, international financial institutions, women’s rights organisations and academia.
We strengthen water and sanitation systems
Innovating at every stage of the process means services are sustainable and continue working into the future.
We influence others
We carry out evidence-based work in selected regions and campaign for water for all. We influence others to make change happen on a global scale.
The people at the heart of our work
Families like Dolfren's, below, are why we're here. With one in ten people around the world still living without reliable clean water near their homes, there's still so much more to do.
Dolfren, 27, right, carries his son Yefran, 7, on his shoulders with their cousin Johnaiker, left, on their daily trip to the river to collect water in Tomarrazon, La Guajira, Colombia.
Most people are able to get water from the tap in the wet season, which on average lasts about 4 months. But some people don’t even get this due to problems with the pipes in certain neighbourhoods of the town.
Due to broken pipes during the dry season, the family spend up to two hours a day collecting water for them and the rest of their family.
Yefran, only 7 years old helps his father to pour water into a jerry can that they have collected by digging into the river bank.
During the dry season the water is also stagnant, allowing harmful bacteria to grow which causes the family to get sick and skin infections when they wash with it.
We make lasting change happen
Together, we install clean water systems such as taps, toilets, boreholes and wells. We train local people to manage and maintain taps and toilets, using local, low-cost parts. Keeping the water flowing long into the future.
And, to make lasting change happen on a massive scale we show decision makers how it can and should be done by influencing them to act, and where relevant we convince governments to change laws. We link policy makers with communities and local partners and change attitudes and behaviours, such as tackling gender inequality.
We persuade governments, donors and financial institutions to invest in basic services and rally support from people and organisations around the world - sharing knowledge and resources.
We will keep working towards our mission until we are no longer needed.
