SPONSOR A WATER PROJECT & HELP CHANGE LIVES
At charity: water, we believe that a water project can changes lives
for people around the world. And we believe it can change yours, too.
$5,000 - $10,000
Sponsor a water project in a community
A typical water project can serve 150-300 people in a community. You’ll be recognized as the project sponsor, and you’ll receive a completion report when the work is finished. Get in touch with us to learn where we’re working this month.
$20,000
Sponsor a water project in a school or clinic
Your donation includes the cost of the water project as well as latrine blocks for students or patients, which are essential to reducing diseases in public places. You'll be recognized as the project sponsor, and receive a completion report.
Ready to sponsor a project?
Email sponsoraproject@charitywater.org to get started.
100% of your donation funds water project costs on the ground.
Or call 646.688.2323
100% of your donation
funds water projects.
Private donors fund our operating costs so you don’t have to. 100% of your donation goes directly to water project costs on the ground. All donations are fully tax-deductible.
Learn about our special
projects this month.
Get in touch to learn about the specific countries we're working in this month, and how your gift can sponsor some of our most critical needs. Email us or call 646.688.2323
REPORTING THAT CONNECTS YOU
It takes 18 months of careful planning and community training
to make a water project successful. Here’s what happens:
FIRST UPDATE
COUNTRY INFOAn update to let you
know which country your
money was sent to.
SECOND UPDATE
PROGRESS REPORTA mid-term update about
the work on the ground, and the
progress towards completion.
COMPLETE!
COMPLETION REPORTA water project report with GPS
coordinates, photos and population
of the exact community you helped.
You’ll receive two progress updates along the way,
and a completion report when the project is finished.
You’ll receive two progress updates along the way,
Hand-dug
wells in Ethiopia
Drilled wells in
Central African Republic
Drilled wells in Rwanda
Learn about the technologies your donation will fund.
We fund a variety of different water solutions depending on water availability, culture, and economic conditions. For instance, in areas where ground water can't be found, rainwater harvesting systems or BioSand filters are used. In areas where the water table is close to the surface, a hand-dug well is often the first solution.
DRILLED WELLS
A drilling team drills deep into the earth to reach fresh aquifers.HAND-DUG WELLS
Skilled laborers dig up to 15 meters by hand to reach aquifers below.SPRING PROTECTIONS
A system captures and safely stores pure water from a natural spring.RAIN CATCHMENTS
Gutters on rooftops direct the flow of rainfall into a sanitary holding tank.BIO-SAND FILTERS
Layers of sand and microbacterial film inside remove contaminants.REHABILITATIONS
A team repairs broken projects to restore clean water to a community.WATER CHANGES EVERYTHING
Sanitation and Hygiene
Access to clean water promotes handwashing. Washing your hands is the best way to prevent water related diseases.
Health
80% of diseases in the world are waterborne and preventable with clean water and improved sanitation.
Education
Millions of kids spend their days collecting water for their families or home sick with a water-related illness instead of going to school.
Women Empowerment
Women are twice as likely to walk for water. Water projects nearby can save time, and give women freedom and opportunity.
Food Security
Self-sufficient families can use water sources nearby to cook safely, clean their eating utensils and water their own gardens.
Economic Development
Every $1 invested in improved water access and sanitation yields $12 in economic returns, depending on the project.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What's included in my report?
When your project is built and we receive completion data from our partners (about 18 months), we assemble and send you a report with the following information:
- Photos of the actual project
- A virtual plaque plotted on Google Maps
- Type of water project technology used
- GPS coordinates
- Population served
- Previous water source info (if available)
What am I paying for when I sponsor a water project?
100% of your money goes to water project costs on the ground. Private donors cover the salaries of our staff in New York so your money can go directly to the following costs:
- 50% for materials: cement, pipes, pumps, construction supplies, training materials.
- 20% for local staff costs: drillers, welders, well technicians and hydrogeologists.
- 10% for mobilization: fuel, vehicles, lodging for drill crews in remote areas.
- 20% for in-country program support: accountants, drivers, computers, internet.
Learn more about each of these here »
If you sponsor a water project at a school or health clinic, we may use a portion of your money to build latrines in addition to the water point. Latrines are crucial to reducing water-related diseases, especially at schools or health clinics where populations are more dense.
What can go wrong?
charity: water works in some of the poorest and most challenging countries in the world because that's where the need is greatest. Naturally, despite our best efforts to meet your and our expectations, forces beyond our control occasionally require a change of plans. The list of uncertainties we've encountered is long: governments collapse, policies change, roads get washed out, pipes break, wells come up dry and community needs change.
No matter what happens, we promise that 100% of your donation will directly fund water project costs. In addition to updating you about our progress, we'll inform you if the location of your sponsored project has to change. In the unlikely event that we need to totally reallocate your funds, we'll put them toward projects substantially similar to the one you chose to support in the first place. If we absolutely cannot find a suitable project in the country you had hoped to help, we'll work with you to find an alternative country.
Why does it take 18 months to get my completion report?
Building water and sanitation projects is a time-consuming business. We allow 18 months because we don't consider a project “complete” until we know that all of its components are in place and working for the best of the community. That includes community participation and training, as well as collecting photos, GPS coordinates and other details from each project. We require detailed data about each project from our partner organizations and verify it at charity: water headquarters to make sure there are no mistakes. Only then do we assemble your completion report. Here's a timeline of what happens in 18 months. You can also learn more here »
Can I pick the country where my donation goes?
Although we’d like to, we can't accommodate requests to build projects in specific countries or regions. Our water programs team determines the locations of all water projects based on greatest need. Then they strategically form long-term partnerships with on-the-ground organizations to effectively help the most amount of people in specific regions. Instead of choosing the technology, country or local partner yourself, we ask that you trust our judgment in determining where your funds go. We honor the chance to be good stewards of your donation – and we take it very seriously. You can be sure that 100% of the money you give or raise will fund water project costs for people in need, and you will get a report letting you know the exact community you helped when the work is complete in 18 months.
How much is the community involved in building a charity: water project?
As much as possible. We don’t consider our projects “complete” until the community receiving them is engaged and empowered to care for them.
Where possible, our partners enlist local community members to help dig wells, construct filters, build ditches for piping or help out with any other construction tasks. Our maintenance models for each project reflect the community; often, this means our partners train a local Water Committee to collect fees to maintain their projects.
We believe in water as a catalyst for social change. Our partners try to make sure the underserved or minority members of a community are represented and served by our water projects.
The best way to get a sense of community involvement in charity: water projects is through personal stories about these communities on our blog here »
Shallow wells 
Drilled wells in
BioSand filters 
Gravity-fed systems 
Rehabilitations 
