Who we are
WaterAid started in 1981 because no non-profit like us existed. We are determined to make clean water, reliable toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. Only by tackling these 3 essentials, in ways that last, can people change their lives for good.
Since 1981, we have empowered:
- 25.8 million people with clean water
- 25.1 million people with reliable toilets
- and we're only just getting started!
The water crisis
Diarrhea caused by dirty water and poor toilets kills almost 800 children a day. A lack of clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene keeps kids out of school, adults out of work and traps people in poverty.
How we do it
We tackle the issue from all angles. We work with local partners to deliver clean water and decent toilets, and promote good hygiene, and campaign to change normal for everyone, everywhere.
Our impact
Together we can unlock people’s potential with clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Without all three, people can’t live dignified, healthy lives. With all three, they can unlock their potential, break free from poverty, and change their lives for good.
With clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene, children are born healthier. They get the chance to go to school, and grow up to become adults. Women and men get to earn a living. Whole communities start to thrive. It sounds normal and it should be.
In a world with so many competing priorities, WaterAid remains resolutely focused on tackling these three essentials because they transform people’s lives for good.
Last year, you reached:
1,357,000 people with clean water
1,357,000 people with clean water
For Fatima, Lourdes and Amelia in Timor-Leste, that means being able to drink from the tap without worrying about deadly diseases.
1,356,000 people with decent toilets
1,356,000 people with decent toilets
A decent toilet means the chance for children like Henitsoa in Madagascar to stay in school, taking them closer to reaching their dreams.
2,086,000 people with good hygiene
2,086,000 people with good hygiene
How do you make the benefits of clean water and decent toilets last for generations? The key is good hygiene, as Anil has been discovering in Pakistan.
Real-time monitoring
The work doesn't end when the water project is complete. We have a vast network of community leaders, engineers and WaterAid staff who monitor our projects. Since 2012, we have worked with MWater, a data management platform, to monitor the functionality of our water points, to ensure as many of them as possible continue to serve the community.
Clean water
Clean water
1 in 9 people don't have clean water. We work together with communities to find the best and most lasting solutions to unlock their potential and break free from poverty.
Reliable toilets
Reliable toilets
1 in 3 people don't have a reliable toilet of their own. We're working with communities to build a local workforce that can install and maintain toilets.
Good hygiene
Good hygiene
Good hygiene promotion is one of the most effective ways of improving global health. That's why we support hygiene education across all of our projects.