Solutions
WaterCredit: Small loans, big impact
The WaterCredit Initiative® is our core solution. We work with our in-country financial partners to add loans for water and sanitation solutions to their portfolios. These partners then mobilize funding from capital markets to provide affordable loans to people in need of water. People living in poverty use these loans to put a tap or toilet in their homes. Every repaid loan creates the opportunity for another family to get the safe water and toilets they need, fast and affordably. It is a pay-it-forward system that makes it possible to help more people in ways that will last.
Access to financing is solving the water crisis for millions
We use access to affordable financing to bring safe water and sanitation to the world, and it is working. Through years of experience, we found that millions of people were paying high prices for water from vendors or collecting water from unsafe natural sources. Both options cost families in time, money, opportunities and health.
For millions of people, financing makes sense. Small, affordable loans offer families the ability to purchase long-term safe water and sanitation solutions that solve their immediate need and over time will cost less than continuing to pay for temporary fixes.
Water.org believes that access to capital is the most important barrier to overcome in order to solve the global water crisis. We have broadened our efforts and joined forces with others to increase financing for water and sanitation, helping even more people in need.
Our solutions increase the impact of your dollar
Based on the capital we've helped mobilize and our expenses to date, every dollar donated to Water.org helps unlock $17 for water and sanitation solutions for people living in poverty. This is possible because we use philanthropic funds to set up market-driven financial solutions that bring safe water and sanitation to people in need.
Our work to help the world reach a critical goal – safe water and sanitation for all – drives our desire to make a dollar go as far as possible. Our donors recognize that giving to Water.org is a smart investment. And our local partners know that working with us is a smart business decision. Together, we can change more lives, faster and more efficiently.
Partnering to accelerate access
Water.org works with partners across sectors, including financial institutions and water service providers, to expand access to affordable financing for water and sanitation. We provide technical assistance, share best practices, and collaborate with stakeholders to develop, implement and scale effective solutions.
Increasing access to financing at a systems level
As leaders in financing for water and sanitation, we are committed to working with development agencies, governments and other partners to influence public policy and practice changes that make more funds available for water and sanitation solutions, at local, national and global levels.
Driving impact through evidence
We use data and evidence to drive innovation and impact within our organization and around the world. We are dedicated to generating a credible evidence base for influencing action to bring safe water and sanitation to all.
Scaling our solution through WaterEquity
We established WaterEquity, an impact investment manager dedicated to ending the global water crisis, with an exclusive focus on raising and deploying capital to water and sanitation enterprises throughout Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Developing sustainable water infrastructure through WaterConnect
We established WaterConnect with the purpose of addressing the lack of investment-ready water and sanitation infrastructure projects where we work.
Changing millions of lives
We've empowered more than 68 million people with access to safe water or sanitation. See the impact and read the personal stories of the people whose lives have been changed thanks to your support.
Support our work by donating to Water.org today.
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