Harvest Appeal 2021
Give the gift of clean water
In the world’s poorest communities, many people rely on farming not only to feed themselves and their families, but also to earn an income. Often, their entire livelihood depends on what they can grow.
But crops need a reliable supply of water, and increasingly unpredictable weather is causing them to fail – leaving people hungry and with no way to earn a living.
You can help bring water to farmers impacted by our changing climate – and together, we can make sure that others have harvests worth celebrating.
Support small-scale farmers
In Ethiopia, rising temperatures and longer droughts are making it harder and harder to grow food. If the rains don't come, farmers have no choice but to watch their crops wither and die.
"If the coffee plant doesn't get water, it dries up"
Like most people in her village, Bernesh and her husband are farmers. Her family’s lives depend on income from growing coffee, which needs plenty of water to thrive. But water here is scarce, and the region is getting drier.
Rains farmers can't rely on
Over the years, rainfall has become less predictable, and droughts are more common than ever before. It's making it more and more difficult to grow crops.
The life-changing impact of clean water
Thanks to the support of groups like yours, we’ve been able to bring clean water to Bernesh’s village. Now her family, and others in the community, can stay healthy, earn a decent living, and celebrate good harvests – come rain or shine.
We're working to bring a steady supply of clean water to more communities like Bernesh's around the world – so that even more vulnerable people will be able to grow enough food and break free from poverty.
Will you join us this harvest to help us reach more communities with life-changing water?
Empower communities to overcome challenges
In Uganda, the poorest families face a daily struggle without clean water and decent sanitation.
Floods, droughts and uncertain food supplies only make life harder – but, with the support of WaterAid, communities are coming up with innovative ways to improve hygiene and have plentiful harvests.
"Lockdown meant no income for a long time"
Patricia lives in one of the poorest areas of the capital, Kampala. When COVID-19 hit, many people lost their jobs. It was a struggle to put food on the table, and with no money to pay for waste collection, rubbish soon piled up in the streets and drains.
Gardening for positive change
As part of her local voluntary WaterAid group, Patricia would share hygiene messages around the neighbourhood. With lockdown pausing their activities, the group focused closer to home, building vegetable gardens out of discarded materials like old tyres.
“The garden looks small, but it gives me a good harvest”
Patricia’s yard is thriving, so she can provide healthy meals for her family, and sell extra produce to earn much-needed money. The group is showing others how to put their rubbish to good use too, making the neighbourhood a cleaner and safer place to be.
With your help we can support more community groups like Patricia’s, empowering others to take on the twin challenges of COVID-19 and climate change.
Get involved
Whether your group is meeting in person, or you'd prefer to take part online, there are plenty of ways you can join together to celebrate and fundraise this harvest:
Request your free harvest pack for even more ideas and tools to help you fundraise, as well as lots of information and activities to learn about the life-changing impact of your support.