Together, we've empowered millions of people with access to safe water and sanitation. We invite you to meet some of them and read their stories.
Zenebech lives in a rural village a few hours south of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. Among the other mud and thatch homes, Zenebech raises her six children with her husband. Zenebech told others in her village about how a small loan changed their world and it could change theirs too. "I didn't want them to suffer any longer. I want them to be healthy like my kids". Read more about why she wanted safe water for her neighbors.
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India is the second most populous country in the world, with more than 1 billion citizens. 678 million people living in India lack access to a safe toilet. Read about how families are using small, affordable loans to end this practice and give their kids bright futures.
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For women around the world, the struggle to gather water for their families is a personal, everyday battle. Water.org empowers women to get safe water by helping them access affordable financing through something we call WaterCredit.
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Homes in Rehana’s village are simple. Made of thatch and mud and concrete, the humble structures offer a haven for rest and play, but rarely do they have water or sanitation connections. While her husband worked and her children went to school, Rehana walked up to six hours a day to get water for cooking, laundry, and baths.
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Evidence found through Water.org’s programs demonstrates that household access to water and/or sanitation can liberate anywhere from six to 14 hours a week to be reallocated from tending to water and sanitation needs to however an individual chooses. While not every person with access to improved water and/or sanitation ultimately opts to use this extra time to earn additional income, the majority of people empowered through the work of Water.org direct their newly-freed time towards income-generating activities.
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Water has the power to make dreams a reality. With a small, affordable loan made available to Rose by her local bank, Rose was able to give her family a long-term water solution. Now she has money to pay for her daughter's schooling, bringing to life Maggie's dream of becoming a nurse.
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In partnership with Water.org, Matthews’ local bank offered small, affordable loans for water connections and toilets. The amount Matthews and Butukan paid for water at the kiosk far exceeded what could be payments toward a long-term water solution in their home. Matthews decided to finance a water connection.
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Like 27 million Brazilians, Maria lacked access to adequate sanitation in her home, where she lives and works and helps raise her granddaughter. Read about how a small loan gave this mother and grandmother the resource needed to keep her family healthy.
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As a child, Elena did not share in the joys of playtime like her boys, nor did she have time to even imagine what she wanted to be when she grew up. Elena was raised in rural Peru where she spent many hours carrying water jugs rather than kicking a soccer ball.
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Nimfa’s story is a story shared by many women in her village. After spending too many girlhood hours searching for water, and spending too much money paying for what they lacked, they grew up to recognize their potential and knew they needed safe water to unlock it.
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When one has time to follow their dreams, those dreams can become reality. However, millions of women around the world don’t have time to realize their dreams. Women like Elizabeth. Instead of pursuing her dream of making dresses to support her family, she spent that time each day collecting water. Mile after mile, heavy bucket after heavy bucket of water, it seemed there was no end in sight.
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Namulondo is a hardworking health assistant at a local hospital and a loving single mom who has dedicated her life to caring for her children. A small, affordable loan helped Namulondo pay for a rain storage tank, providing her family with enough water for several months.
Read moreTogether, we can empower more families with safe water.
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