What You'll See


Sample Water Project Report

Every gift funds a specific water project. You'll receive a full report with pictures, maps, stories and more from the community where your gift is used.

See a Sample Report

Ways to Give

Donate $750 and Share in a Water Point
Donate and Share in a Water Point
$750

Share in a Water Point$750
Renewal and Protection

Donate $1,500 and Share in a Community Water Project
Donate and Share in a Community Water Project
$1,500

Share in a Community$1,500
Water Project

Donate $3,500 and Share in a School Water Project
Donate a Share in a School Water Project
$3,500

Share in a School$3,500
Water and Sanitation Project


Or, Sponsor a Water Project starting at $5,500

Underwrite or Sponsor a Water Project

Provide the majority or total funding for a water project.
You'll know your gift made clean water possible for a community in need.

Ways to Give

Donate $5,000 and Underwrite a Water Solution
Donate and Underwrite a Water Solution
$5,500

Underwrite a $5,500
Community Water Point

Donate $7,500 and Underwrite a School Water Point with Toilets
Donate and Underwrite a School Water Point with Toilets
$7,000

Underwrite a$7,500
School Water and Toilets Project

Donate $14,000+ and Sponsor a Water Project
Donate and Sponsor a Water Project
$14,000+

Sponsor a Complete$26,000
Water & Sanitation Project


Or, Invest in a Regional Water Program starting at $35,000

Invest in a Regional Water Program

Investments over $35,000 enable large scale water projects with far reaching impact.

The impact of your investment at this scale will extend beyond safe water and sanitation to include climate change mitigation, sustainable agriculture, re-forestation and more.

Your giving enables long-lasting, transformational water projects that serve thousands and allow landscapes to flourish once again.

Please contact us to discuss the pressing need for investment at this scale.

 Contact Us   Call 1-800-460-8974

What We Build


Faucet icon

The Water Project has experience helping communities drill boreholes, dig wells, construct small sub-surface dams, catch rain, protect fresh-water springs, filter surface water, and maintain proper sanitation and hygiene practices.

We have learned each community we serve is different. From basic geology, to climate and culture, many factors determine the most sustainable project type to provide access to clean and safe water.

How We Work»


 
 

Education

With water right on school property, students won’t miss class to quench their thirst, clean their classrooms, or supply school kitchens with water. With water at home, kids don’t waste homework time walking long distances in search of water for their households.

Health

Water projects close to home rescue people from drinking whatever dirty water they can find. More water also means less rationing, so it’s easier to stay hydrated, wash hands, and clean homes, preventing future illnesses.

Hunger

In our service areas, almost everyone has a farm or garden. To them, a lack of water means a lack of food. Improved crop irrigation equates to healthier and more plentiful crops.

Poverty

Sourcing water when it’s scarce day after day saps everyone’s time and energy. With water at their fingertips, people spend more time investing in their households and livelihoods.

 

How We Prove It


Water Project Map

For each project you support, you'll receive an in-depth project report detailing the technology used, the location of the effort, the number of people it serves, and photographs of the process and completed water project.

See an example here »

If your project's total expenses are less than your gift, we'll show you any additional project(s) you've supported as well! For larger gifts, there may instances in which you'll be the sole sponsor on multiple projects.

The Proof »


Serving others is our goal. We listen first and act carefully.

Community Engagement at a Water ProjectWe work hard to make sure that a community's needs are always considered first. Our partners in the field help ensure that happens and we work with them to make the best possible decisions.

We've heard too many stories of a "default" technology, like a well, being installed because of a donor's preference, only to see that same project rejected or abandoned by a community who were never involved in the process. We're here to lend a hand, not lead the way.

We hope you'll join us in working to put others' needs first.

Informed supporters benefit everyone.
Ready to dig a well

The process of sponsoring a water project in Africa is simple.

Once you have raised the money and/or made a donation to The Water Project, Inc., we will assign the gifts to the next available project site on our ever-growing list.

We work very hard to keep our implementers busy, and try to ensure they always have a back-log of work. That simply means that your project will be constructed about 8-12 months after your donation.

We won't send your donation to the field until just before it's ready to begin construction - keeping everything safe, secure...and accountable.

Yes! And no matter how much you donate, we'll show you the specific project where your gifts were used...every time.

A water project costs more than just the hardware.

To ensure each project is done right and lasts for many years, there are three essential phases to every project including:

  • Site selection & community education
  • Project management & construction
  • Long-term monitoring & evaluation

The majority of your donation goes to our field implementers in the construction phase. They use it to pay for supplies, well pumps, concrete, drill bits, wear and tear on the rigs, fuel, and wages for the drill crews.

When you sponsor an entire project, you'll be an integral part of the effort from the very beginning to clean water flowing and throughout its lifetime! We'll show you how all along the way.

Learn more about the process »

Water Well in Google Earth

Currently, we're working to fund new wells, well rehabilitations, rain water catchments and spring protection schemes at schools, medical clinics, and churches and community centers in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Uganda. Individual sites are each open to the public and can serve large groups of people.

Our teams and partners prepare each community for their new water water project. They ensure the community is committed to the project, and in most cases will require some form of investment of time and/or money on their part. This is a critical step to ensure that a water project is sustainable so that your investment has the longest possible effect.

We're committed to providing a reasonable estimate of usage. It doesn't help anyone to overstate the true impact of a water project.

Most of our recent projects actually serve around 500 people, which we consider the upper end of a reasonable limit for any hand-pumped well. Spring catchments serve around 200 or so.

Still, the number of people who use a water project will vary by location. If you've seen claims of wells serving thousands, ask questions. It's important to realize that simply because a community has a population of 1,000 people, it does not mean a single project can serve them all.

An overused well, for example, won't last very long.

Managing a water project over time is just as important as how many people it can serve. To make sure the projects we fund last as long as possible, we go back and check to find out what's working and what's not. We work hard to do the greatest good with your gifts.

Properly maintained, a pump can provide clean, safe drinking water for upwards of ten years or so before needing a complete overhaul or replacement. Properly maintained, other types of projects can last even longer.

Dedicate a Well in AfricaYes, of course! Our implementation teams are great at sending pictures and updates back to us as they work. We'll pass those on to you through our Project Reports - listing you and your team as the sponsors (you can choose to remain anonymous too).

You'll be able to track your specific project from its beginning, through construction and for many years to come.

Water Well in Google Earth

Proving water projects and wells is hard work, but we believe it's essential to building trust through transparency.

We ask our drillers to send pictures of the actual drilling process when possible. In many cases we're provided with before and after photos.

In addition to pictures, we insist that every well be documented with Govt. drilling permits and GPS coordinates. We have folks on our team visit random wells, using these coordinates, to keep everyone honest.

Finally, we ask for itemized expense reports and copies of deposit/withdrawal forms from the banks to which we wire funds for projects. We trust our teams, but also try to remove any opportunity for others to question their integrity.

At this time, we are not able to ensure either safe travel or participation by volunteers at water projects in the field.

Well drilling is specialized work carried out by trained professionals and it is often quite dangerous. Our teams, made up of local drilling techs, don't have the ability to manage visits while they work.

The locations in which they work are often very remote and not frequented by foreigners.



Sponsor a Water Project.


Have questions about project sponsorship? Please reach out to our team.

 1-800-460-8974 [email protected]