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The Girl Who Built a Rocket

The Girl Who Built a Rocket

Fara lives in Madagascar, where her family are among almost half of the population who don’t have clean water.

Fara has big ideas about how to change this, and end her family’s problems. She dreams of reaching Mars. And finding water.

Scroll to join Fara on her mission to Mars...

Find out what inspired her and see how Fara’s mission to reach the red planet plays out in our film, The Girl Who Built a Rocket.

Billions have been spent sending spacecraft to Mars, searching for water and paving the way for future human exploration... but many families like Fara’s still dream of finding water right here on our own blue planet.

That's why WaterAid's mission is here, on Earth

An illustration of Earth and Mars.

1 in 10 people don’t have clean water, and climate change is making things worse for those already struggling.

Increasing droughts are drying up springs and wells while floods contaminate unprotected water sources.

WaterAid is working with partners and communities in Madagascar and beyond to help them keep the water flowing, whatever the weather.

An illustration of people walking with jerry cans in Madagascar.

This is Tantely

Her name means ‘honey bee’ in Malagasy. Like Fara, Tantely is from a remote village in Madagascar.

Tantely, 8, standing inside her school classroom, Madagascar, August 2019.

In Madagascar, it is usually women and girls who have the heavy responsibility of collecting water.

Before Tantely's village got clean water, she and her siblings frequently got diarrhoea from drinking dirty water. If their illness was really serious, the small amount of money they had was spent making the trip to the nearest hospital, 40km away.

Finiavana from Tantely's village collecting water from a dirty water source, Madagascar, September 2016.

Finiavana from Tantely's village collecting water from a dirty water source, Madagascar, September 2016.

Did you know that every two minutes a child under five dies from diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor toilets?

You can help change this today.

Thanks to your support, we worked with the community to install a simple network of pipes, so now, Tantely has water whenever she needs it.

It’s not rocket science, but it’s giving her the chance to change her future.

Tantely with her grandfather, Albert, Madagascar, 2019.

Tantely with her grandfather, Albert, Madagascar, 2019.

"I like school, my favourite thing is doing writing exercises. I want to be a doctor when I grow up. It is good now the taps are at school, it is different."

Having clean water nearby has allowed people in the village more time to focus on their farming, to cut grass and feed their livestock, to plant and grow more.

Tantely's grandfather, Albert, 67, holding a bunch of cassava roots, Madagascar, August 2019.

Our mission is here

Water doesn’t just enable us to survive, it gives us the opportunity to thrive. It enables us to dream - and to fulfil those dreams.

At WaterAid, we work with communities all over the world, empowering people with the tools and the knowledge they need to access clean water and change their lives, forever.  

One day, every person on our beautiful blue planet will have clean water. You can be part of making that day closer. That’s our mission – right now, right here, on earth. Are you with us?