WaterAid's winter fundraising campaign featured in The Financial Times

Posted by
Jeff Greene
on
17 December 2024
In
Individuals, Employees and companies, Malawi, Campaigns, Fundraising resources, Water, Education, Hygiene, Girls and women, Health, Maternal health
Image: WaterAid/ Sophie Harris-Taylor

In least-developed countries, women and girls overwhelmingly bear the brunt of collecting water for the family. Which means women are less able to work and girls spend less time studying and playing. WaterAid's new winter fundraising campaign, featured in The Financial Times, focuses on drought-hit Malawi where collecting water takes an average of 55 minutes per day.  

The campaign will help fund a new solar-powered water system to supply nine villages in the area of Chinganji (where fewer than half of children have clean water at home) – almost 2,000 people. It will also make it possible to install decent toilets and washing facilities in Chinganji’s local primary school – measures that are key to providing a safe space for girls to maintain good hygiene. 

(L-R) Sisters, Merifa, 15, and Fanny, 13, collecting clean water, M'doko, Malawi. June 2024.
(L-R) Sisters, Merifa, 15, and Fanny, 13, collecting clean water, M'doko, Malawi. June 2024.
Image: WaterAid/ Sophie Harris-Taylor
They weren’t used to seeing water like that – we were just too excited. As a result, our grades have improved.
Merifa, 15

Merifa has already benefited from WaterAid's work: “All I remember is the excitement that there was at school. People were crowding around the taps, and opening and closing them because they weren’t used to seeing water like that – we were just too excited. As a result, our grades have improved. We’ve seen a big difference now that we have tap water near us because we’re spending most of our time studying instead of going to draw water. We have time to actually be in class.”  

Sileni, 33, and her daughter, Merifa, 15, washing clothes with clean water, M’doko, Malawi. June 2024.
Sileni, 33, and her daughter, Merifa, 15, washing clothes with clean water, M’doko, Malawi. June 2024.
Image: WaterAid/ Sophie Harris-Taylor

Individual donations are vital to WaterAid's work, says York, “as they can be used without restrictions. That means we can respond quickly and flexibly where the need is greatest.” 

*This story originally appeared in The Financial Times on 12/14/2024 and was authored by Alice Lascelles

@alicelascelles

WaterAid is an international nonprofit working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene a reality for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We change millions of lives every year, working in 22 countries to provide clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 29 million people with clean water, 29 million people with decent toilets and 28 million people with good hygiene.

Statistics

  • 750 million people in the world – one in ten – do not have clean water close to home.
  • Two billion people in the world – almost one in four – do not have a decent toilet of their own.
  • Around 310,000 children under five die every year from diarrheal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's around 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes. 

Every $2 invested in water and toilets returns an average of $8 in increased productivity.

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