Indira Varma, Adjoa Andoh, David Morrissey and Dougray Scott among stars supporting WaterAid campaign to new government
Actors Indira Varma, Adjoa Andoh, David Morrissey, Dougray Scott and Ariyon Bakare are among several celebrities backing WaterAid’s Vote Water campaign by adding their name to an open letter highlighting the global water and climate crisis and calling for urgent action.
Actors Sir Mark Rylance, Finbar Lynch, and Niamh Cusack, comedian Aisling Bea, and presenter Tyler West have also pledged their support for the not-for-profit’s campaign, which calls on the UK’s new Labour Government to prioritise investment in clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene in the international development budget.
Nearly 1 in 10 people around the world do not have clean water close to home and 1 in 5 do not have a decent toilet of their own. The climate crisis is making the situation worse, with droughts drying up wells and springs, and storms and floods contaminating fragile water sources and destroying infrastructure.
As part of WaterAid’s campaign, an inspiring young woman from Bangladesh, Samia Anwar Rafa, has written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary David Lammy, and Minister Anneliese Dodds, to highlight the impact a lack of clean water is having on hundreds of millions of people around the world today.
Endorsed and signed by several celebrities, the letter communicates the experiences of Rafa and other women across the world for whom “the struggle for clean and accessible water has been a constant refrain” in their lives, exacerbated by unprecedented weather events - from deadly heatwaves to destructive cyclones.
Rafa will help deliver the letter to 10 Downing Street next week along with the Vote Water petition with more than 23,000 signatures.
Indira Varma, best known for her roles in Game of Thrones, Luther, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Doctor Who, said:
“I stand alongside young women like Rafa, whose powerful and inspiring letter touched my heart as she revealed the devastating reality of life during unprecedented weather events that threaten their already scarce water sources.
“Clean water changes lives. It creates a ripple effect across society that empowers women and girls worldwide, ensuring healthier communities that can remain resilient whatever comes their way. As Rafa says, clean, reliable water is hope, the blue thread that unites us all.”
Dougray Scott, award-winning actor (Mission: Impossible 2, Crime) and WaterAid Ambassador said:
“Rafa’s letter is a stark reminder of what day-to-day life is like for women and girls without access to clean water. Using her voice and representing millions of women around the world, Rafa is boldly highlighting this urgent issue and writing to the new UK government to call on them to act.
“I’m adding my name to her letter to help ensure that the new government hears Rafa’s story and commits to making access to clean water a global priority.”
David Morrissey, renowned actor (Sherwood, The Walking Dead) and filmmaker said:
“We owe it to those on the frontline of the climate crisis in countries to do whatever we can to help reduce the consequences of climate change.
“It would be unimaginable to us to live without access to clean water but that’s the reality for so many. The new government has a moral obligation to do more to ensure women like Rafa can fulfil their potential. Leading the way on water is a great place to start.”
Actor Ariyon Bakare, known for his roles in His Dark Materials, Doctors and Good Omens, said:
“Earlier this year, I visited Lagos, Nigeria, with WaterAid where I saw firsthand the devastating consequences of water scarcity in an urban setting – especially among women and girls - something reflected so powerfully in Rafa’s letter.
“Rafa represents the millions of people impacted daily by a lack of clean water, and the impacts of climate change don’t discriminate. With a new government comes a chance for change. By adding my name to this letter, I hope to contribute to lasting change and better, prosperous futures.”
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid said:
“Water is the blue thread connecting us all and is critical to tackling many of the world’s biggest crises, including climate change and global pandemics. Yet successive governments have slashed funding for water, sanitation and hygiene by 77%, meaning the communities most vulnerable to climate change and health crises are denied their basic rights. Now’s the time for change.
“Clean water creates a ripple effect throughout society - from unlocking the potential of women and girls like Rafa across the world, to ensuring communities can keep healthy and thrive in the face of growing global challenges.
“WaterAid is calling on the new UK Government to now lead by example and commit to ensuring the world has a water-secure future, changing lives for good.”
The full list of who has added their names to Rafa’s open letter includes: Adjoa Andoh, Aisling Bea, Ariyon Bakare, Cel Spellman, David Morrissey, Dougray Scott, Dr. Emeka Okorocha, Eshaan Akbar, Finbar Lynch, Indira Varma, Sir Mark Rylance, Niamh Cusack, Sophie Tea, Tyler West and Dr. Veena Babu.
To read Rafa’s letter in full and to find out how you can support Vote Water visit www.wateraid.org/uk/Rafa
ENDS
For media queries, please contact Abigail Smith, Senior Media Officer: [email protected].
Notes to editors
About WaterAid
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We work alongside communities in 22 countries to secure these three essentials that transform people’s lives. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 28 million people with clean water and nearly 29 million people with decent toilets.
For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk; follow us on Twitter @WaterAidUK, @WaterAid or @WaterAidPress; or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
- 703 million people in the world – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home.
- 2.2 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.
- Almost 2 billion people in the world – one in four – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
- 1.5 billion people in the world – almost one in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
- 570 million people in the world – 1 in 14 – have a decent toilet but have to share it with people outside their family. This compromises the privacy, dignity and safety of women and girls.1
- Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1000 children a day, or almost one child every one and a half minutes.2
- Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs.3
1: WHO/UNICEF (2023), Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: special focus on gender (accessed 11 Jul 2023)
2: WHO (2023), Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update (accessed 24 Jul 2023)
3: WaterAid (2021), Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery (accessed 1 Nov 2023).
