The latest on our work and those supporting it
How Spring Protection Works
Springs have been used by local communities as a source of water supply for many years. Community acceptance, low operating and maintenance costs, and ease of community management make springs quite effective for supplying rural communities with water. Springs occur where water from an unground aquifer flows out of the ground to the surface. It […]
Deep Dive on Drought: What is The Water Project Doing to Counteract Its Effects?
We think a lot about rain at The Water Project. Rain is a critical component in solving the global water crisis. It is also something we cannot control. So, we spend a lot of time monitoring and tracking rain in the places where we work. Too little rain can cause a borehole to run dry, […]
Global Handwashing Day 2022: How to capitalize on headway made during COVID-19
For years, handwashing has been one of the most critical and simple acts anyone can do to reduce the transmission of diseases, including diarrhea and infectious diseases such as flu, Ebola, H1N1 influenza, and now COVID-19. Before the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, handwashing has been one of the best ways to prevent the spread […]
Why Can’t People in sub-Saharan Africa Build Their Own Wells?
This is another entry in a series where we answer questions we’ve received from curious donors, website visitors, and casual commenters. As we’ve said before, it can be difficult for those of us who have always had water piped into our homes to understand what it’s like not to have water. We haven’t needed to […]
Why Does The Water Project Work in Africa?
This is the first entry in a series where we answer questions we’ve received from curious donors, website visitors, and casual commenters. As we’ve said before, it can be difficult for those of us who have always had water piped into our homes to understand what it’s like not to have water. We haven’t needed […]
Investing in the planet, one water point at a time
Earlier this month, scientists and researchers gave notice that “rapid, deep, and immediate” cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are needed to mitigate the effects of climate change. Their report for the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was a dire warning but was clear that there are actions to take to protect our planet. […]
World Water Day 2022: Tapping into groundwater’s potential
Water is everywhere, but you often can’t see it. We are reminded of that fact in marking World Water Day 2022. This year’s theme is about the importance of groundwater. Its tagline is: “Groundwater is invisible, but its impact is visible everywhere.” Groundwater is a significant source of drinking water around the world. It is […]
5 Unexpectedly Easy Ways to Conserve Water (And Why You Should)
It’s hard for those who live in countries with (relatively) reliable infrastructure to consider water a finite resource. The world is covered in water, after all. Water comes from the tap whenever you turn it on. Scientists are working on more efficient ways of taking the salt out of saltwater so we can drink it. The problem […]
Putting Climate Change in WaSH: Impacts and Measures Taken
By Harnoor Kaur, Monitoring, Evaluation, Resolution & Learning Associate at The Water Project As the United Nations, Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow concludes, water and sanitation deserve to be at the forefront of the climate agenda. Climate change impacts are widespread, rapid, and intensifying – and nowhere is this more evident than in relation […]
Getting from 367 million children without school toilets to 0
One out of every four people in the world still does not have access to basic sanitation services. These roughly 2 billion people do not have a safe place to go to the bathroom, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released to mark World […]