At the water project, we commit to following up with every community we serve. When water flows for the first time on a new project, it's only the beginning.

During a memorable follow up visit last year, our Program Manager, Jack Owen, returned to Kakiring - a village of about 300 people in Northern Kenya - to see how the interventions we made there in 2011 were impacting the local community he had grown so close to.

He said of the experience that, "everyone talks about impact all the time, and struggles to quantify it. Numbers served, diseases reduced or eliminated, children in school, dish racks in use, washing lines, and latrines in homes, income generating activities... All of these are indicators of positive impacts that water, sanitation and hygiene projects can achieve. I think about all of this too, but sometimes when I think about impact, I just think about Kakiring, and the genuine relief written all over the faces of those whose lives have been transformed through access to a functioning hand pump."

Jack went on to say, "There was a sense that things were getting better in Kakiring, and an energy that comes from achieving something tangible."

It's the kind of outcome we hear about time and time again. It never gets old. When people can once again flourish... we celebrate that we were able to play a small role alongside them.

We learned during our first water project fundraiser that the story of water is inspiring and the joy of serving others is contagious. So, we created a online platform to make it easy to share it all with friends and family. Thousands joined in during 2012.

Together, our supporters raised over $640,000 through these campaigns alone!

Now, those same folks are seeing the impact of their generosity. Throughout this year, everyone who contributed will see the specific outcomes of their donations, as they happen, right from their own campaign page.

Teachers from around the world downloaded The Water Project Lesson Plans 2,588 times. Their students then engaged with our mini-curricula to learn about water scarcity and how community dynamics can affect the outcome of any water project.

We know that many of these students went on to organize events and fundraisers in response to what they learned. In fact, over 880 schools, churches and other groups signed up for "The Water Challenge". The dedication of literally thousands of volunteers translates to clean, safe water for tens of thousands more!!

Your support helps unlock people's potential to help others.

We don't rely on support from large foundations, government grants or the rich and famous. We depend on people just like you!

And you do amazing work.

From lemon-"aid" stands to church carnivals, gaming marathons to bike rides across continents, the passion and creativity of our supporters make this work possible.

With your support, The Water Project funded over 213 water projects in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Sierra Leone and South Sudan.

We estimate, conservatively, that each project serves - on average - about 350 people. We know that some water projects will help far more.

Working with eight implementing partners, our program staff continued to deepen our commitment to building truly sustainable water projects. Each partner continues to bring particular strengths to the work that we are able to share across all our efforts.

Together, through new wells, rehabs, sand dams, spring and rainwater catchments and sanitation & hygiene training, we are able to help unlock potential in the people we serve.