The Ripple Effect | Vol 7

When a community gets clean water for the first time, it creates a powerful ripple effect, saving lives and improving people’s health, education and livelihoods. Water is just the beginning.

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to shake all of us to our core. Tragically, it has reversed decades of progress in development and is deepening the poverty endemic to millions of people around the world.

This crisis has worsened inequalities, leaving the most vulnerable communities without even the basic services that keep us all healthy, productive and safe: clean water, sanitation and hygiene.

But providing clean water to everyone, everywhere is more than just the right thing to do. It has the potential to reap huge economic rewards.

In July, WaterAid released a report with McKinsey & Co, Mission Critical, detailing how investments in water, sanitation and hygiene will unlock trillions of dollars of value in coming decades. It is truly mission critical if we are going to overcome some of the most urgent global problems including climate change, Covid-19, gender inequality and severe poverty. It matters to all of us. The data shows that access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene would save billions of dollars in time, productivity, and health care costs. These are billions of dollars we can’t afford to lose.

As a WaterAid supporter, you understand that if you lack access to clean water, little else matters. With your support, we won’t stop until we reach everyone, everywhere. People are counting on us.

With gratitude,

Kelly Parsons, CEO

WaterAid America

Deep in the mountains of Madagascar lies the district of Manjakandriana where people grow rice, corn, peanuts, beans, and cassava for the country and export. The area’s beauty amidst the dense forests of majestic Baobab trees belies the hardships its residents face.

For generations the people of Manjakandriana have had to rely on water from hand-dug wells that was not safe for human consumption. Few families had toilets, and even soap was considered a luxury. These challenges caused people to frequently suffer dehydration and sickness, which meant their bodies couldn’t absorb the needed nutrients from food.

Women and children were especially vulnerable, having one of the highest maternal, newborn, and child mortality rates in the country. Just 37 percent of students finish primary school and only 8 percent finish secondary school, resulting in a continued cycle of poverty in the community.

Thanks to your support, WaterAid worked with residents to understand their needs and assess resources. We installed a climate resilient gravity flow scheme to ensure reliable access to clean water during droughts or floods. Now, over 12,000 people enjoy convenient access to clean, safe water, including in 9 schools and 2 health care centers. The ripple effect of each drop of water will help residents of Manjakandriana live healthier lives, and open up possibilities for the future. You helped to make this a reality.

A lasting impact

By involving the whole community in construction and maintenance, this water system will be sustainable for generations to come. Its impact will spread far beyond Manjakandriana, too, influencing how the government brings clean water to more communities across Madagascar. It’s a ripple effect. And it’s only the beginning.

By the numbers

Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, WaterAid reached more than 10 million patients and staff at health centers with good hygiene at points of care.

This year we celebrated the 40th anniversary of our founding by water engineers in the United Kingdom. We’re forty years into solving the water crisis, together. We’ve made tremendous progress, reaching over 28 million people with clean water so far. That’s millions of people with better health, education and livelihoods. That’s millions of people better equipped to thrive. All of this is thanks to you. Let’s keep striving, together.

Catch up on past issues of the Ripple Effect below.