20 Years of WaterAid America

This year marks a milestone for WaterAid America as we celebrate two decades of dedicated service since our inception. Over the past twenty years, our work with local partners, governments, and communities have improved the lives of millions of people worldwide, through our transformative water, sanitation and hygiene projects.
This has all been made possible, because of the unwavering support of our partners and supporters, whose commitment echoes our shared vision: a world where everyone, everywhere has access to clean water, toilets and hygiene.
You have made all of this possible. Thank you!
In the past year, WaterAid has reached the following number of people:

WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold
WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold
In terms of people at home we reached:
+413,000 with clean water
+129,000 with decent toilets
+1.8 million with handwashing and hygiene

WaterAid/Dennis Ouedregano
WaterAid/Dennis Ouedregano
Staff and patients at healthcare clinics and hospitals:
+2.2 million with clean water
+1.6 million with decent toilets
+1.9 million with handwashing and hygiene

WaterAid/Tariq Hawari
WaterAid/Tariq Hawari
School students and teachers:
+154,000 with clean water
+135,000 with decent toilets
+1 million with handwashing and hygiene
Our history

2004
WaterAid America is formed, joining the larger WaterAid federation. We believed then, as we do now, that solving the global water and sanitation crisis will take people power.

2008
The UN declares an International Year of Sanitation. With toilets still a neglected topic, we address the UN commission for sustainable development, highlighting their importance in living a healthy, dignified life.

2009
We've reached 13.4 million people with clean water and 8.1 million with decent toilets!

2011
We expand our programmatic work to a third continent: South America! Project work starts in the La Guajira region of Colombia.

2014
In 2014, at the meeting of the Global Sanitation and Water for All partnership, we helped influence 20 governments to commit to achieving universal access to water and sanitation by 2030 and many others to commit to ending open defecation.
We are also involved with the 2014 Paul Simon Water for the World Act.
Over three sessions of Congress, WaterAid worked closely with Members of Congress and more than 75 NGOs and faith-based organizations to push for improved effectiveness of the US government’s limited resources allocated to water, sanitation and hygiene programs.
Water for the World’s final passage by Congress is the culmination of these tireless efforts and unexpected partnerships and is a testament to the fact that that water, sanitation and hygiene are basic services that no one should live without.

2020
WaterAid programs pivoted to meet the new needs that emerged as the Covid-19 pandemic spread around the world. From public awareness campaigns to "WASH on wheels," our response varied from country to country. Learn more about our response here.

2023
WaterAid celebrates the introduction of The Global WASH in Healthcare Facilities Act of 2023 in Congress, introduced by Representatives Grace Meng (D-NY), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Darin LaHood (R-IL).
2024
Our Colombia team is working in conjunction with the local government to provide long-term, sustainable solutions in 58 communities in the La Guajira region, serving 15,000 people. Learn more.
Water+
The work beyond the tap
To achieve our goal of ending the global water and sanitation crisis, we launched a new strategy to focus on scaling up our work. We rely on advocacy to make change happen on a massive scale, leveraging resources well beyond those of the WaterAid team. We convince governments and utilities to invest in clean water and toilets for their citizens. As part of our “build, teach, scale” approach, we empower local people to monitor and repair infrastructure so services work for the long term.


WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo
WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo
Build
Our staff install clean water infrastructure such as taps, sinks and toilets using local materials.

WaterAid/ Srishti Bhardwaj
WaterAid/ Srishti Bhardwaj
Teach
We provide training to practice good hygiene, prevent infections and manage the water systems.

WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo
WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo
Scale
We empower communities to monitor and maintain facilities so the water flows long-term. These learnings can then be applied to other neighboring areas.


Country program focus: Pakistan
This past spring, we wrapped up a three-year project in Tehsil Dipalpur, Pakistan, a rural community where potato farming is the main source of income.
Pakistan, once water-abundant, is now a water stressed country and approximately 88% of household water supplies are unfit for drinking. Coupled with a rapidly growing population, the residents of Tehsil Dipalpur faced a water crisis that threatened food security and their livelihood.
WaterAid worked locally to determine the best solutions together with the communities. Because clean water and good hygiene are critical to the economic and physical health of the farmers and their customers, WaterAid decided to focus on improvements in 12 farming villages and 10 schools to maximize the life-changing impact of water, sanitation, and hygiene.
WaterAid established a series of reverse osmosis water filtration systems throughout the selected communities and schools. We then formed and trained committees in each village charged with the water systems’ operation and maintenance to ensure sustainability.

Finally, we conducted thorough hygiene training sessions, established water, sanitation, and hygiene clubs in schools, and upgraded school washroom facilities so they were inclusive for those with disabilities and allowed women and girls to handle their menstrual hygiene with dignity.
Bushra (center) is one of the students who participated in our hygiene education sessions. She has taught her school friends and family the importance of handwashing.


Country program focus: Colombia
We believe it is essential to respect local traditions when working with communities. In La Guajira, Colombia, the Wayúu live in one of the harshest geographies in the country and struggle to access clean water, sanitation and hygiene. And despite the construction of new sanitation facilities, we learned that adoption of them was initially low.
To solve this problem, WaterAid worked with the Wayúu community and their leaders to integrate ancestral symbols on the walls of bathrooms and handwashing facilities.
We created visual associations with water, like drought or rain depending on the position of the moon and stars, keeping cultural traditions alive while transforming the community’s perception of these spaces and improving hygiene practices.
Isolina, pictured, a local Wayúu leader, was invited to participate in World Water Week 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden, because of this groundbreaking work. She led participants through an interactive and hands-on session revealing how art can turn a toilet into a sacred space that reminds the Wayúu of the value of water and their connection with nature.



The Indigenous Wayuu live in one of the harshest geographies of Colombia and struggle to attain access to clean water, decent toilet and good hygiene. Despite construction of new sanitation facilities, uptake is low. To instill ownership, the Wayuu integrated their sacred art, transforming the community’s perception of the facility and increasing good hygiene practices. This video is part of a hands-on workshop at 2022 World Water Week in Stockholm, hosted by WaterAid Colombia and a Wayuu leader, Isolina.
Our impact around the world

WaterAid/Tariq Hawari
WaterAid/Tariq Hawari
Kung and her granddaughter Nita live in a flood-prone area in Cambodia. They used water from their well which was not clean or easy to collect. Now, they have a piped water connection at home which provides clean water.

WaterAid/Tariq Hawari
WaterAid/Tariq Hawari
Francisca is the leader of the local Water User Group in her community in Timor-Leste. After the water system was installed in her village, she was able to grow and earn an income from her vegetable garden.

WaterAid/Keoma Zec
WaterAid/Keoma Zec
In the desert region of Colombia, Maria Elvira Pushaina used to worry about the health and safety of her seven children going to the toilet in the open. Now that safe toilets and handwashing stations have been built throughout the community, her children are better protected against the spread of dangerous diseases.
Since 2004 we have focused on three essential things: clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.
As a wider federation, together with supporters and our partners, we have reached 29 million people with clean water so far!
But we won’t stop until
everyone, everywhere
has clean water close to home.

