4 in 10 people globally live without access to basic handwashing facilities and these are the ones who will suffer the most at the hands of Coronavirus.

Just a Drop’s mission, to deliver accessible, clean, safe water where it is needed most, has never been more relevant or more important.

The Coronavirus outbreak is affecting everyone, everywhere, but imagine trying to defend yourself against the virus when you don’t have access to proper handwashing facilities or adequate sanitation. It would be almost impossible.  

This is why our work is so important.  

We’ve been championing the practice of proper handwashing with soap since we started in 1998 through providing hygiene training and access to safe water and soap, preventing the spread of diseases and protecting communities. 

Handwashing with soap is the first line of defence against the spread of COVID-19 so our work is ramping up to ensure that we can reach more communities and support them in the battle against coronavirus.  

What we’re doing to support vulnerable communities: 

We are continuing with our vital work in Africa, Asia and Latin America to provide frequently forgotten communities with safe water, sanitation and training in handwashing and soap-making to help both reduce the spread of the virus, and to try and mitigate against the severity of it if caught, by keeping communities as healthy as possible.   

If people already have long walks to fetch water for cooking, drinking and cleaning, they are unlikely to have enough water for regular handwashing as well, so a reliable source of water, close to people’s homes is more essential than ever.  

We have brought in measures to ensure that we are providing the right immediate and long-term support to those who need it the most. 

Emergency Help 

We are proposing a suite of measures in the countries we work to provide immediate emergency help to the most vulnerable – in the form of protective equipment, clean water, soap and handwashing facilities, and hygiene messaging through leaflets, by megaphone and training where possible.  

Longer-term Solutions 

Our projects provide long-term solutions for each country – providing water to people’s villages and to schools to help protect people against COVID-19 now, and also ensuring a long-term solution for people who lack access to safe water and good hygiene knowledge. This crisis will hit the poorest hardest so we will provide food security so that people are able to grow enough crops to survive whilst they have no other income. 

COVID-19  is  spreading within low and middle-income nations and the effects could be catastrophic due to poor health systems which are already struggling with inadequate water and sanitation facilities.   It is estimated that income losses due to COVID-19 are expected to exceed $220 billion in developing countries. 

Cambodia We will be supporting villages through raising awareness of COVID-19, the importance of good hygiene behaviours in order to avoid getting sick and further spread the virus. We will distribute household biosand filters to provide access to safe water and PPE for our Local Partner to enable them to carry out project work safely.	India We will be providing emergency safe water provision to villages through a piped water stand at each household, not only improving health and helping to reduce contact with others thus slowing the spread of the virus, but it will also enable them to grow crops due to the availability of water.	Kenya We will enable 65 Self Help Groups to improve their household sanitation and gain more knowledge on handwashing and COVID-19 in order to prevent and control its spread within the communities. In addition, the livelihoods of the most vulnerable 20 communities will be improved through the support to grow more food.
Nicaragua We will support villages with access to safe water through a borehole in each village, enabling these communities to have access to safe water for the first time and sufficient water to allow them to practice good hygiene.	Uganda We will strengthen sanitation facilities at health centres to enable them to be more prepared to deal with COVID-19 and conduct community outreach to the surrounding villages to spread good hygiene and social distance messaging, and information about COVID-19.	Zambia We will provide vital PPE and hand washing facilities to frontline health workers at five health clinics to help them manage the outbreak, to improve protection available to them and to support the safeguarding of existing health systems capacity. We will provide a sustainable source of safe water close to the homes of a remote village.

We need your help. Now, more than ever, we need to come together as one to support communities around the world. 

Without soap and clean water, communities will be at a huge disadvantage when tackling the virus. 

Your donations and support will help us to reach nearly 367,000 people and truly have an impact in stopping the spread of Coronavirus.  

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