Every Drop Counts

PROJECT IMPACT "Turning Access to Water into Access to Safe Water"

For families in Chamil Community, access to water does not always mean access to water that is safe to drink.

The Every Drop Counts project is addressing this challenge by providing household water purification filters to families living in conditions of poverty and limited access to safe drinking water. The intervention is especially important for households with young children, who are more vulnerable to the consequences of unsafe water and diarrheal disease.

To date, 85 families have received and installed a water purification filter, benefiting an estimated 321 people.

Key Results

• 85 families received water purification filters.
• 100% of families installed and were using their filters.
• 321 people are estimated to benefit from the intervention.
• 39% of children under two years old reported an episode of diarrhea during the 15 days preceding the baseline assessment.
• 89% of filters observed during follow-up visits were clean.
• 72% of households had an additional container for storing purified water.

These results show that the project is moving beyond the delivery of a product. Families are incorporating safe water practices into their daily routines, supported by household follow-up and behavior-change reinforcement.

From a Filter to a Lasting Household Practice

Every Drop Counts combines access to water purification technology with education, monitoring, and behavior change.

Project staff visit participating households to verify that filters are correctly installed and being used, while providing practical recommendations on cleaning, protection, and safe storage of purified water.

The monitoring process also helps identify behaviors that require additional reinforcement. For example, while filter adoption is high, continued education is needed around protecting the water outlet and maintaining optimal hygiene conditions.

This approach is designed to help families turn an initial donation into a sustained health-protective practice.

For donors, this means that a contribution to Every Drop Counts does more than provide a filter. It helps create the conditions for families to purify, protect, and safely consume water every day.

STORY OF CHANGE Zury: “It Was a Risk to Give That Water to My Children”

In Chamil Community, getting water is only part of the challenge. For Zury, a mother with a child under two years old, making that water safe for her family used to require another daily task.

Before receiving the filter, Zury boiled water from the tap before her family could drink it. This meant using firewood regularly and spending additional time and resources to make the water safer.

But boiling the water did not eliminate all the uncertainty.

Sometimes, she said, the water arrived contaminated. For a mother caring for young children, that meant that something as basic as giving her children a glass of water could become a concern.

“Before, I boiled water from the tap, and we consumed a lot of firewood. Sometimes the water comes contaminated, and it was a risk to give it to my children. I have a child under two years old.”
— Zury, Chamil Community

The water purification filter has changed that daily routine.

With the support of Every Drop Counts, Zury now has a household solution that helps her provide purified water to her children and relatives. The change may seem simple—a filter in a home—but for Zury, it represents less reliance on firewood and greater confidence in the water her family consumes.

“Thanks to the donation of the filter, it has helped my children and my relatives who live in the community.”
— Zury

Zury's story is one of 85 families in Chamil who are now taking a step toward safer drinking water.

Her experience shows why Every Drop Counts matters: a relatively simple intervention can become part of a family's daily effort to protect the health and well-being of their children.

Help us reach more families

Every family deserves access to water they can safely give to their children.

By supporting Every Drop Counts, donors can help families in vulnerable communities gain access to household water purification solutions while strengthening the knowledge and practices needed to use them safely and sustainably.

For a family like Zury's, one filter can mean safer water, less reliance on firewood, and greater peace of mind.

Every drop counts. Every family counts.

Links:

• The experience of Zury