Peru
Peru's water and sanitation crisis
Out of its population of 34 million people, 16 million people (48% of the population) lack access to safe water and 14 million people (42%) lack access to a safe toilet. Access to safe water and sanitation has improved in Peru in recent years, yet significant shortfalls in both public infrastructure and household facilities remain.
Peru’s diverse landscape includes a rapidly expanding urban population, leading to urban slums which have limited or no access to safe piped water, impacting the health of the people living there. This is in addition to communities in the remote regions of the Amazon and Andes with no access to piped or treated drinking water or safe human waste disposal. Droughts and stress on aging infrastructure pose threats, as well.
Despite these challenges, the Peruvian microfinance market is among the most developed in the world. Water.org sees great potential in this market to increase access to water and sanitation through our smart solutions.
Our impact in Peru
Launched in 2013, Water.org’s programs in Peru prioritize regions that have a strong microfinance presence and high demand for water and sanitation improvements. Water.org’s financial partners have a strong presence nationwide, but especially in Lima, the northern coast and the southern highlands. Through WaterCredit, our partners are disbursing loans for indoor bathrooms, water and sewage connections, improved sanitary installations, and tanks for water collection and storage.
We currently work with financial institutions, a microfinance association and a federation representing 11 municipal banks. Our partners have disbursed 1.2 million water and sanitation loans over the past few years, providing access to safe water or sanitation to 4.6 million people. And, thanks to new financial partners, we are increasingly present in the Andes, the jungle and rural areas, reaching, as always, the families living at the base of the economic pyramid that need access to safe water and sanitation at home.
4.6 million people now have access to safe water or sanitation at home in Peru.
A vision for future impact in Peru
Over the next several years, Water.org will prioritize increasing access to water and sanitation financing nationally through new and expanded partnerships with local financial institutions. We will explore offering water and sanitation financing through commercial banks as well as lending and repayment options through a mobile platform. Digital financial services are a powerful tool to reach remote households with financial resources who otherwise don’t have access to brick-and-mortar banks.
We are helping financial institutions develop new products best suited for local demand, reaching more people faster in both urban and rural areas of Peru.
In addition, we will make connections between private water utilities and our partners, seeking to help them generate sustainable models to ensure families in need have access to the infrastructure and connectivity of these utilities.
Peru impact statistics
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