Trusts and foundations

For the first time since she started working at Katabi Health Centre III in Uganda, midwife Jalia has somewhere to wash her hands and equipment. She can give expectant mothers clean water to take their medicine with. She can care for patients in a ward where beds and facilities are clean and hygienic.

And, most importantly, she can welcome babies into the world without the fear of dangerous infection.

Our work environment has greatly improved. Mothers... are very comfortable coming here because our health centre is always clean, and services have improved."

 Justine lives in the village of Bonam in Burkina Faso, a country where for eight months each year, no rain falls. Now, climate change is making water even more scarce, putting lives, livelihoods and futures at risk.

I had heard about this rain gauge technology before but I had never seen it. It will help us to better understand the rainfall in our community and to be able to draw lessons for our activities and water management. The presence of the rain gauge is a credit to our village.”

Every day, up to 50 customers call in at Sharmila’s small grocery store to buy items like salt, sugar, spices and simple medicines. And for the first time, Sharmila can keep her shop open all day long. As a result, her business is thriving.

Not long ago, our local partner worked with Sharmila’s community to install clean water in their village.

I no longer have to close my store. Now having a pond sand filter nearby, I am able to give time to my business, take my children to school on time and look after my garden and household chores.”

The global water crisis can only be addressed when decision makers and governments make clean water, decent toilets and hygiene a priority.

In the run up to COP26, we used our influence to bring leaders from government, business and multilateral institutions together in a major water and climate summit, to drive action on the effect the climate crisis is having on people’s access to water.

Hosted by HRH the former Prince of Wales, and attended by those who have the power to make urgent, decisive actions to make change at scale, the summit focused on climate finance.

Three years ago, we set out an ambitious project across the districts of Nyamagabe and Bugesera in Rwanda. 48,298 individuals now have access to clean water, 7,198 have access to decent toilets and 5,740 students have learnt about good hygiene behaviours.

Teacher Mamerthe Mukeshimana has seen a huge change since our project worked in her school.

Today it’s different. We have enough clean toilets. The girls today have their room which is fully equipped with everything they need. Students can drink clean water in every classroom."

In the Masindi District of Uganda we joined forces with a team of handpump mechanics to address the problem of pumps breaking down.

Handpump mechanic Baguma Robert explains how the new pipes will keep water flowing for local communities:

Plastic pipes do not rust but galvanised iron pipes usually corrode within a short time after installation in a borehole. When rusty, they develop holes leading to the breakdown of the borehole. Since PVC riser pipes do not rust, the water quality from the handpump is not affected at all."

Across Bangladesh, one simple task consumes hours each day for thousands of women and girls, compromising their health, education and livelihoods: collecting water.

Our five-year project, supported by Severn Trent, in the villages of Assasuni sets out to change that reality, and transform life for 100,000 people with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.

Saleha said: “After getting involved with the water plant, I started to earn which empowered me both socially and financially. Financial independence has given me social identity."