With safe water, communities can begin to lift themselves out of poverty and build brighter futures.

Drinking dirty water can make people sick. That’s just part of the picture.

A lack of safe water and sanitation holds back development and makes it harder for communities to escape the poverty trap.

Here's the facts...

703 million people globally don’t have access to clean water. That’s almost 1 in 10 people.

A child dies every 2 minutes from a water-related disease.

1.5 billion people globally don’t have access to adequate sanitation – that’s 1 in 5 people.

1.95 billion people globally don't have access to basic hygiene services – that's 1 in 4 people. 

In many middle and low-income countries, the primary responsibility of collecting water falls to women and children, who spend hours a day walking to collect water. These journeys are arduous and dangerous, with women and children at risk of abduction, rape and animal attack.

Safe water empowers women and whole communities

Safe water, sanitation facilities and hygiene practices, such as handwashing, change everything...

The whole community has better health. Children no longer die from preventable diseases caused by dirty water and a lack of sanitation. Women and children no longer have to make long and dangerous journeys to the nearest source. Instead, children can spend more time in school, and women can spend time working to generate an income.

With a stable source of water in the community, food security is increased, as families can grow crops and sell the excess. Communities have better health, more stable food sources, more income and increased prosperity. They can begin to lift themselves out of the poverty trap.

Water is the beginning of the journey out of poverty... which leads to better health, increased prospects and brighter futures.

Gift £5 today to transform a life with safe water here

What We Do...

Our sustainable projects provide support to communities, such as through the construction of hand-dug and drilled wells, pipelines, sand dams, rainwater harvesting systems and latrines, and health and sanitation programmes. 

We have reached over 1.96 million people in 32 countries since we began in 1998.