Success Stories from the Field

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.

Jacob Simbeye educates peers on the importance of water purification. PSI’s Zambian affiliate Society for Family Health distributes the household water treatment Clorin to prevent illness among people living with HIV/AIDS and Jacob trains clients at a Home Based Care center in proper Clorin use to enable them to drink safe water and pursue healthy lifestyles.

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.

For many of us it is hard to imagine life without safe water flowing from a tap and a toilet nearby at all times. But imagine not only living without these conveniences, but having to do so if you are elderly, disabled or socially excluded.

Yaké village is a two hour drive away from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital city. Like many other villages, Yaké has been transformed since WaterAid helped its people built a well.

“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.

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.

Nimco educates her community about safe water and hygiene in Hargeisa, Somaliland. Trained in PSI’s interpersonal communication technique, she uses culturally relevant communication methods to promote healthy practices in camps for internally displaced persons. PSI’s water purification tablets especially help reduce diarrhea among children.

The technology behind Cascade Designs, Inc’s (CDI) Smart-Electrochlorinator 200 (SE200) has existed for more than a decade, but its potential for community water purification in developing-country settings was only recently discovered.

Old habits die hard. And sadly that's truer the older we get. Adults can find it hard to change behavior they've been used to all their life, no matter what benefits they're missing out on.

In response to the great need to support entrepreneurship in the water sector, GWC partnered with Ashoka to organize a contest to promote social entrepreneurs in the WASH sector. GWC and Acumen Fund worked closely to evaluate the potential of the entries to scale up and create sustainable enterprises and identified four organizations to receive support.

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.

Asha Yusufkisemi from the city of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, East Africa, used to fetch water from a scoop hole in a riverbed, a task that took hours each day, keeping her from tending her smallholding farm.

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.

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.

Under the USAID-funded Healthy Families, Healthy Forests Project, Conservation International (CI) Madagascar partnered with two local Malagasy NGOs, ASOS and MATEZA, to improve human health and conservation outcomes in the eastern forest corridor of Zahamena-Mantadia.

In July 2010, heavy monsoon rains triggered the worst floods in 80 years across the country, affecting more than 20 million. While most internally displaced persons (IDP) were able to find shelter with friends, family, or in formal camps, others are staying in spontaneous settlements outside camps and along roadsides. These places have little or no water and sanitation, making the risk of disease high.

Launched in November 2005, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) brings together the strengths of The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This $28.1 million partnership is increasing access to water supply and sanitation services, protecting and improving watersheds and supporting productive uses of water.

After years of diarrhea and worms from drinking untreated river water, Jeanine Nizigiyimana learns to purify her water using PSI/Burundi’s chlorine solution, Sûr’Eau. Thrilled by the results of her consistent use of the product, Jeanine now educates other members of her community on how to treat their water and keep their families safe.

Access to clean and safe drinking water is a huge challenge for much of the world’s population. Large-scale water treatment plants may not be practical in all environments, and small-scale solutions, while cheaper, are often still too expensive for rural families in underdeveloped countries.