Success Stories from the Field

“It’s like we are animals,” said Jan Baptiste, talking about her daily trips to the river to get drinking water. She's eager for change and the dignity that comes with reliable access to safe water. So she's is taking the lead in her community to make safe water and its benefits a reality. Change in her village will take time, patience, hard work, and help from people like you.

Clean water has changed this family's life. "We used to get water from a distant, dirty river where people were bathing and washing their clothes in the stream, along with the animals. As a result of the new project, we have clean water to drink. This is the most important thing for us."

Selvi lives in a slum in India. A busy mom of three boys, she just got a new water tap at her home. She used to be forced to spend every day at the public tap, waiting for water and still never getting an adequate amount. But today she collects enough water for her family without any difficulty. They are now happy to be in control of their water future.

"The pond water I was forced to get water from was very dirty and had a bad smell. Due to my distant walks to collect water, sometimes I was late to work. My daughters and I would also suffer from diarrhea, jaundice, dysentery and skin diseases because of the dirty pomd water. We are able to get safe water much more quickly and we don't have waterborne diseases anymore!"

Too often poverty and hardship are facts of life in this rural part of Africa. At a very young age children learn the value of clean water by carrying it miles each day for their families' basic survival. A properly maintained community well changes everything bringing health, prosperity, and hope.

Families around the world collect drinking water from unprotected creeks and rivers near their homes. This water is often unhealthy, dangerous, and filled with bugs. Honduras is water-rich, but transporting water and making safe to drink can be a challenge. People like you are helping families get the clean water they need.

No invention has saved more lives than a toilet. More than 80% of sewage in developing countries is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, lakes and coastal areas. All because there is no infrastructure - a toilet, or city utilities - to flush away yesterday's meal. But that's not all. Toilets bring dignity, privacy, safety and health.

A stream full of worms, leeches and waterborne disease used to be their only option for Mezegaguf in rural Ethiopia. This community of 350, walked day to collect dirty water. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, they recently got a new well! Now, moms like Akberet Naizgi no longer have to worry about their kids getting sick from dirty water.

As a young child, Shibani used to suffer from illness related to dirty water. But she went to college, got her Masters, and devoted herself to making a difference. She now works tirelessly to help those suffering from lack of safe water. She lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and is a trainer and program manager. She is happy that she can help communities take ownership of their projects, ensuring that they last a lifetime.

Navaneetham is a mother of two grown children and lives in Melperamallur village, India. Until recently, no one in her village had a toilet. Worldwide, more than 2.5 billion people don't have access to improved sanitation. Navaneetham is fortunate with a little help, she now has a toilet in her home so her family has privacy, safety, dignity, and better health.

Juhanara lives in an urban slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh, with her husband and three young sons. Her main water source used to be a shared public stand-post. Each day, she would make at least three, 30-minute trips to collect water.

In remote areas of Ghana, families often spend three hours a day collecting water. This burden is often carried by women and girls, perpetuating a cycle of poverty, agony, and hardship for generations. Drilling a village well, engaging the community in hygiene education, and building latrines will all help form a path to better health and prosperity.

Maria Delsa Sanchez is a proud mother of six in the rural Honduran community of Guatincara. Maria's family was very involved in the construction of their community's new water system and household latrines. Guatincara's water project is a gravity flow water system that delivers water from a mountain spring to all the participating homes in the community.