News, Press & Perspectives

Find the latest news and press releases about our work in the water and sanitation sector below. 

Looking to interview someone from Water.org or request a speaker? Or need resources to understand our work and share information with others? Visit our Resources page.

Elevate Prize Catalyst Award
ABC - Can celebrities influence environmental issues? Experts weigh in.

April 22, 2024

ABC's Julia Jacobo spoke with Co-founder Matt Damon about the scale of the water crisis and its intrinsic relationship with climate change.

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ABC - Power of Water: Mexico’s water warriors

April 19, 2023

ABC News’ Linsey Davis travels to Mexico to see firsthand the silent water crisis happening around the world, and speaks with Co-founder Matt Damon about his push to get access to clean water for all.

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A woman in Ethiopia walks to get water
Fortune - Climate change is exacerbating the global water crisis. Corporations must be part of the solution

March 22, 2023

771 million people around the world don't have access to safe water. 1.7 billion do not have a toilet. But there are solutions that work.

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TubeFilter - Ryan Trahan’s latest penny challenge raised $400,000 for Water.org

July 7, 2023

Ryan Trahan successfully made it back to America in just one week, starting from one penny. And he raised more than $400,000 for Water.org in the process.

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UN interview
SDG Media Zone | United Nations - Matt Damon on "Breaking through to a Water-secure Planet"

March 22, 2023

Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, interviews Water.org Co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White.

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EuroNews - Clean water shortages steal women’s time. Here’s what happens when they get it back.

March 8, 2023

Water.org's Senior Knowledge Analyst, Zehra Shabbir, contributes to a conversation about why the water crisis is a woman's crisis.

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eBella Magazine - Clean Water for All

Feb. 18, 2020

At the Imagine Solutions Conference, CEO & Co-founder Gary White will share stories of Water.org's smart, innovative solutions and why he is confident the global water crisis is solvable.

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Financial inclusion for safe water and sanitation helps women and their families break the cycle of poverty

Feb. 4, 2020

For many people living in poverty, it’s expensive to not have access to water or a toilet. The reality is, in many countries around the world people in poverty pay a very high price for these things. These costs make it harder for families to get out of poverty. Read more from Water.org's President and Chief Operating Officer on how financial inclusion for water and sanitation is changing lives.

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Harpic's Clean Toilet Action Campaign to provide cleaner toilets to Indonesia

Feb. 1, 2020

4.5 million households in Java, Indonesia, still practice open defecation. This prompted Harpic, a toilet cleaner produced and marketed by Reckitt Benckiser, to commit to alleviating the problem of open defecation in Java by 2025.

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Lifestyles Magazine - Water relief from a star

Jan. 6, 2020

As Co-founder of Water.org, Matt Damon's focus includes philanthropy as well as film.

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The water crisis is a women's crisis

Jan. 2, 2020

Access to water and sanitation is a global crisis. It’s also a women’s crisis. The burden of collecting water disproportionately falls to women and girls. To solve the water crisis, we must unlock new sources of capital through innovative financing. Doing so will unleash the power and potential of girls and women globally.

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Global Citizen - Billions of People Won't Have Access to Water or a Toilet This Holiday Season

Dec. 20, 2019

It’s the holiday season. Conversations about who will host which gathering are in full swing. Imagine if some of the considerations were whether the host family has access to running water, or if they could offer guests a toilet.

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The Hill - Water.org is finding solutions to a dire problem

Nov. 28, 2019

“Looking ahead, access to water will be one of the most critical challenges of our time,” says co-founder Matt Damon. “The good news is that there are solutions that work.”

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Water documentary featuring Matt Damon and Gary White premieres in Los Angeles

Nov. 27, 2019

Featuring Matt Damon, Gary White, Jaden Smith and other pioneers in the water sector, the Brave Blue World documentary paints an optimistic picture of how humanity is adopting new technologies and innovations to re-think how we manage water.

Watch the trailer
CSIS - Channeling Financial Flows for Urban Water and Sanitation

Nov. 27, 2019

From the Center for Strategic & International Studies, "Increasing the amount of financing available to citizens in low- and middle-income countries will allow them to take out loans in order to purchase toilets and water purification systems for their homes. One of the leaders in providing these microfinance solutions is Water.org."

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Danone-AQUA and Water.org Push for Increased Access to Water

Nov. 21, 2019

Since 2016, this collaboration has supported 3 financial institutions in Central Java and East Java, Indonesia to distribute water and sanitation loans in 33 villages.

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Water.org partners with The BBVA Microfinance Foundation to provide access to safe water in Peru

Nov. 18, 2019

BBVA Microfinance Foundation and Water.org are working to bring access to safe water and sanitation to rural and peri-urban homes in Peru.

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Seeing the people we empower through a different lens

Nov. 8, 2019

Traveling around the world reveals we are more alike than different, however one thing stands out. Many people we meet lack access to safe water and sanitation. Read more from Benjamin Heath, a photographer who has supported our work for more than five years.

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