12 Organizations Helping to End the Global Water Crisis

It’s a fact that clean water is absolutely essential for life, however, it is not readily available to much of the global population. Many communities have no choice but to use contaminated water to cook, clean, drink, and bathe. Here is a list of social organizations that are working around the clock to eliminate this problem, saving lives, and making global societies better.

1. Generosity.org

Generosity.org is currently bringing clean water to India, Uganda, Ghana and Haiti. They leverage expertise and knowledge of local partners to choose appropriate water solutions for a region, which could include different kinds of spring protection systems, systems that harvest rain water and wells.

Local water committees are used to oversee the construction of water projects and to maintain the project in the long term. Using local partners allows the organization to build relationships within communities and provide training on hygiene and sanitation.

Generosity.org has served more than 415,000 people via 727 projects in 19 countries.

2. Blood:Water

Blood:Water aims to end the water and HIV/AIDS crises in African communities. The organization aims at providing many solutions ranging from hand wash stations and toilets, to services that prevent HIV/AIDS transmission from mother to child. Local partners are used to select the solution best suited to their communities.

Blood:Water has already supplied safe water to a million people in eleven countries.

3. Charity:Water

Probably the most recognizable name on this list, Charity:Water is one of the largest organizations helping to end the global water crisis. Charity:Water partners with local organizations around the world to provide water and sanitation services to communities in need.

Before embarking on a project, Charity:Water ensures a water source is available in the region by using GPS technology and remote sensors to locate the water source. They ensure the sustainability of their projects by forming local water committees, partnering with local governments, and by training engineers to repair and maintain the solutions.

Charity:Water has funded over 38,000 water projects affecting over 9.6 million people around the world.

4. BLUE Missions

BLUE Missions is a clean water charity and non-profit organization dedicated to bringing an end to the global water crisis within our lifetime. Our mission is to connect communities to clean water and improved sanitation while cultivating a generation of global citizens through service driven travel.

We are creating opportunities for people to find their purpose by volunteering abroad. Through powerful development work, authentic immersion experiences, and a 100% giving model, our beneficiaries, staff, volunteers, and donors are given the opportunity to discover their potential to make an impact.

BLUE Missions volunteer programs were named “Top Volunteer Programs Abroad”  in 2017 & 2018 consecutively by GoAbroad.

Since 2010, BLUE Missions has been involved in over 100 clean water and sanitation projects, connecting over 22,000 people to clean water and over 4,300 people to improved sanitation.

5. Lifewater International

Lifewater International is a water development organization serving vulnerable families and children in rural and remote areas in Southeast Asia and East Africa. Community members actively drive change in one household to the next by participating in the construction of their own hand-washing stations, drying racks and home latrines.

Simply provision of safe water is however not enough and the organization walks alongside churches, leaders and families to overcome all types of water poverty, while the communities take steps to improve health by employing good sanitation and hygiene. When combining health with safe water, the changes that take place at the communities and in households have a lifelong impact.

Lifewater has provided clean drinking water, hygiene and sanitation to more than 50,000 people via 107 water projects.

6. Splash

Splash serves disadvantaged communities by working hand in hand with local businesses and governments. Splash does this by not only providing filtration systems, but also educating children on effective hygiene and training local organizations to maintain toilets properly.

Splash creates safe water projects through partnerships with local organizations, thereby solidifying long-lasting solutions. As government is primarily responsible for providing basic services like sanitation and water to its citizens, it is the most effective route in ensuring these services last. Government entities are often, however, simply not capable of meeting the need or are underfunded, and in these cases, local businesses and charities play an important role.

Splash has already helped over 339,984 children.

7. Ride4Water

Ride4Water raises funds for water filtration solutions by riding bikes. After Executive Director and Founder Ryan Delameter took part in a bike ride of 10,000 miles crossing 10 countries, and raising awareness of the international water crisis and fundraising, Ride4Water was founded to continue the tradition. They’ve installed filtration systems in communities in El Salvador, Fiji and Oaxaca with the capital they’ve raised. The filters trap harmful microorganisms and bacteria present in water.

Ride4Water’s goal is to ultimately use the ocean as a practical source of drinking water. They’re developing a Decentralized Desalination Device (D3), which will use aluminum, clay and sunlight to enable people living at the coastline to access unlimited water.

The Ride4Water team has installed filters in 60 homes, impacting 200 people in 3 different El Salvadorian regions.

8. Planet Water Foundation

Planet Water Foundation helps rural communities, children and schools by introducing programs for health education and installing water filtration systems globally. Their filtration system traps viruses, bacteria and other unsafe organisms and provides 10,000 liters of safe water to 1,000 people daily. Children are also able to wash hands in soap dishes erected around the system.

A systems can be installed in a day, and community members simply have to clean them over time, rather than replacing them.

The organization’s goal is to provide 5 million people with clean water by 2020.

9. Safe Water Network

The goal of Safe Water Network is to build affordable water systems that are locally-owned by communities in India and Ghana. While the organization provides the tools to use, community members eventually take ownership of the systems and run them as small businesses. Instead of being seen as beneficiaries, individuals are treated as business owners and consumers.

The stations sell water to cover maintenance and operating costs. Safe Water Network provides the equipment and education to manage the stations, as well as the monitoring and technical services needed to keep them in good condition.

Safe Water Network has installed 118 stations in India to serve 413,477 individuals and 65 stations in Ghana giving 203,000 people access to water.

10. Water 1st International

Water 1st International has been empowering poor communities in India, Honduras, Ethiopia and Bangladesh by building and sustaining solutions providing access to clean water and toilets.

Community members use the system to pay off a loan for the initial cost of building it. The organization continues providing additional support through grants to local partners to implement sanitation and water systems, and help them retaining staff. Communities in Bangladesh on average repay the loans 98% of the time. That money is then reused for launching new programs.

As small loans are often used in Bangladesh, most project participants know how they work and understand repayments, and how it benefits them and the recipient of the next loan.

This revolving credit model builds unity in slums as it brings compassion to a setting where it’s easy to take an attitude of only looking out for yourself to survive. People are presented with a choice in these projects. They can save and scrimp to pay the loan back and thus help a neighbor, or not pay back and use the funds for themselves. When faced with the choice, the poor people in these communities almost unanimously choose to help each other.

Water 1st International has supplied 140,570 individuals with safe water by raising $14 million.

11. Water for Good

Water for Good is faith-based and focuses on making an impact in the Central African Republic by creating sustainable clean water solutions and building a relationship with communities in the long term. The organization employs village trainers to facilitate the appointing of a well committee before drilling a well.

As women tend to be successful at managing a family’s budget in the Central African Republic, it is recommended that at least one woman serve in the committee. It is also crucial to have them on the committee as women are more likely to be responsible for fetching the family’s water.

The village is asked to hire a pump assistant to sit at the pump and collect payments, while making sure water collection is done orderly. This job is great for an older man who is respected, and may not have enough energy anymore to work in the field, but is good at creating a steady influence at the well, and is reliable enough to collect payments. His salary is also paid from the payments collected for water.

Water for Good has built more than 590 wells, while monitoring over 900 wells for maintenance services.

12. Let Them LOL

Let Them LOL’s founder’s laugh started the legend behind the name. The laugh was so infectious and unique, her team recorded it as a ringtone as a fundraiser for clean water by charging every time it was downloaded. Apart from this initiative, the organization has developed their vision of serving those in need and providing others with a voice.

The organization only focuses on Sierra Leone and build wells in poor communities to provide them with to safe water. Although pumps often deteriorate after a few years, the organization is aiming to break the pattern by identifying appropriate local solutions and maintenance of the water projects for many years ahead.

Before installing water systems, an assessment is conducted to determine the community’s needs and resources. Community leaders are involved to find the best solution for the community. Water systems include water filter systems, well repairs, wells dug by hand and drilled borehole wells. This strategy was chosen as communities are all unique and the aim is to supply the system that is best suited for them.

Let Them LOL is unique in that they have a maintenance program for wells. The maintenance teams travel all over Sierra Leone to visit communities that have wells, to service them and repair them. This ensures clean water flow for many years.

Let Them LOL has provided clean water wells to 30,000 individuals.

Conclusion

Every organization on this list has made it their mission to bring an end to the water crisis that plagues millions of people around the world. You can do your part by supporting these organizations in their cause. No matter how small your contribution may be, monetary or otherwise, you’re making an impact that will help improve the lives of many communities.