Water.org

Water.org is a global nonprofit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible, and cost-effective. We help people get access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing, such as small loans. We give our everything every day to empower people in need with these life-changing resources -- giving women hope, children health and families a bright future. We believe that the water crisis isn't a problem of charity; it's a challenge of capital. People living in poverty aren't a problem to be solved; they're a market to be served. Demonstrating that this massive market is eager and willing to pay for these servic... read more Water.org is a global nonprofit organization working to bring water and sanitation to the world. We want to make it safe, accessible, and cost-effective. We help people get access to safe water and sanitation through affordable financing, such as small loans. We give our everything every day to empower people in need with these life-changing resources -- giving women hope, children health and families a bright future. We believe that the water crisis isn't a problem of charity; it's a challenge of capital. People living in poverty aren't a problem to be solved; they're a market to be served. Demonstrating that this massive market is eager and willing to pay for these services will precipitate a previously unimaginable flow of capital -- creating a sustainable, efficient, and scalable water and sanitation ecosystem for all. Thus, the power of our work lies in the transformation of water and sanitations markets. By demonstrating that those living in poverty are bankable, we build inclusive markets and a compelling evidence base that creates a feasible and sustainable path to ending the water crisis. The key innovation driving Water.org's impact is WaterCredit: small, affordable loans made available to people living in poverty to help them finance locally-appropriate water and sanitation solutions. Water.org's support and training enable local partners to add water and sanitation loans to their existing lending portfolios and mobilize commercial capital for the loans - enhancing their ability to maintain the WaterCredit program long-term. Water.org seeks to do more, faster, and in partnership with others to make financing for water and sanitation affordable and accessible to those in need. We seek to spur system change at all levels - local, national, and global. Our approach expands the flow of capital into the sector, addressing the most significant barrier to achieving universal access to water and sanitation. We also increase access to financing by integrating partners, ideas, and approaches to ensure that, like the water solutions we make possible, affordable finance can flow down to those who need it most. We're accelerating progress and impact in these ways: Direct impact - Water.org enables access to critical financing for household water and sanitation solutions for those living in poverty. We partner with local financial institutions, by providing technical assistance, connections and small grants, where needed, so they can provide small, affordable loans to people in need of water and sanitation at home. We also partner with water and sanitation providers to enhance their capacity to obtain financing and improve service delivery for their customers. Collective impact - Water.org works with partners across sectors, including water and sanitation and financial services, and other international development organizations to expand access to affordable financing for water and sanitation. We provide technical assistance, share best practices, and collaborate with stakeholders so they can develop, implement and scale effective solutions. System impact - Water.org works with governments, sector institutions and other partners at a systems-level to influence public policy and practice changes that increase the flow of capital for household water and sanitation solutions