Cholera: 2024 

Countries in southern and eastern Africa are facing the deadliest outbreak of cholera in the past decade.

Cholera is an often-deadly infection caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. It can kill within hours. One in three suffering from cholera are children. The worst part of this story? Cholera is preventable.



Cholera, like other waterborne illnesses, spreads through contaminated water into everything people need to live their lives – what they drink, what they eat, what they wash with.

The most effective way to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases? Clean water.



Public health workers are saying it is rare to see so many cases of cholera in so many countries at the same time. This devastation is linked to increasingly frequent and extreme weather events, a shortage of vaccines, but most critically a lack of clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

But it doesn't have to be this way.



Here's where you come in

Your donation can provide:

Lillian must fend for her family after losing her husband

"I want my children to get a decent education.
I don’t want them to end up on the street.”
— Lillian Lungu, Zambia

Lillian lost her husband to cholera suddenly earlier this year. She is now widowed with 11 children amidst this growing health crisis.

Image: WaterAid/Angel Phiri

Why WaterAid?

WaterAid has been working on water, sanitation and hygiene projects for more than 40 years. Thanks to thousands of people like you, we have reached 29 million people with clean water, 29 million people with decent toilets and 27.8 million people with hygiene education. We have a Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar and have the highest ranking, (four stars) rating from Charity Navigator.

We're on a mission to reach 400 million more people with in the next decade. 

But we will need your help to do it. 

Donate now

Clean water

2 billion people don't have safe water. We work with communities to fix this, to provide lasting solutions so communities can break free from poverty.

Decent toilets

3.5 billion people don't have a decent toilet of their own. We're working with communities to build a local workforce that can install and maintain toilets.

Good hygiene

Good hygiene and handwashing are among of the most effective ways of improving global health. That's why we have always supported hygiene education.