How can a simple $20 donation in the US, supply a village in Africa with clean water for 20 years? I was intrigued by this possibility. Only 20 dollars? For 20 years? To us in the west, clean, safe water is a mostly under-appreciated, over abundant resource, but for 1 out of 6 people around the world, it is an impossible dream. Charity: water is a non-profit organization that uses every penny of a 20 dollar donation, to build wells that pump clean, safe, life saving water to the 1.1 billion people who desperately need it.
The lack of clean water causes 80% of all illnesses and diseases in developing countries. And of the 42,000 deaths due to unsafe water every week, 90% of them are children under 5 years old. Many people, mostly women and children, will spend more than 3 hours per day collecting and carrying water that will eventually make them sick.
Local African companies partner with charity: water to drill the wells, and local community members also assist with the construction. This helps strengthen the community and guarantees stewardship after the project is complete. A water committee is then created to maintain the well.
Since its creation in 2006, charity: water has installed more than 1,247 wells bringing this essential element to 650,000 people. By a small 20 dollar gift we can improve the health of over a million people. To me (and thousands of Africans) that is money well spent.
charity: water
- charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects.
- Organization Type: Non-Profit
- Website: charitywater.org
- Founder(s): Scott Harrison
- Founded: 2006
- Location: New York, NY USA
- See complete company list here
Source: charitywater.org
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