Why the Water Crisis?

Every day in rural communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa, millions of people suffer from a lack of access to clean, safe water.

Globally, 1 in 9 people still have no access to clean water. But in the communities we serve, it's 9 out of 9. Water is a daily and crippling challenge. Without water you can't grow food, you can't build housing, you can't stay healthy, you can't stay in school and you can't keep working.

Today, hope is on hold in over half of the developing world's primary schools without access to water and sanitation.

But the water crisis can be solved.

Children often bear the burden of walking miles each day to find water in streams and ponds, full of water-borne disease that is making them and their families sick.


You can change that.

Access to safe water is foundational to the development of any community. Safe and reliable water restores hope and unlocks potential.

Girls under the age of 15 are twice as likely as boys to be the family member responsible for fetching water. We believe she deserves to take water for granted, just like you. To pursue a hopeful future, she needs water - every day.


You can provide it.

 
 

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.

 

Your support trains and equips in-country teams who build and restore water points in Kenya, Uganda and Sierra Leone. Your gift funds local solutions to local problems, creating opportunity all along the way.

Access to safe water improves the health of families and children, keeps girls in school, gives people back their time lost collecting water, and empowers the leaders of tomorrow. No wonder it’s estimated that every $1 invested in water and sanitation programs yields up to $12 in economic returns.


Your support will make that true in the lives of people every day, as they are able to rely on safe water through The Water Project.

See what access to water means for her school.