News, Press & Perspectives

Find the latest news and press releases about our work in the water and sanitation sector below. 

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Wall Street Journal - Confronting Water Scarcity in 2026

Jan. 20, 2026

Matt Damon, Co-founder of Water.org, Richard Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of Gap Inc. and Kara Hurst, Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer discuss the "Get Blue" campaign, a major corporate partnership aimed at combatting the global water crisis.

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Sustainability Magazine - Get Blue at WEF: Water.org, Amazon & Ecolab’s Water Strategy

Jan. 20, 2026

Water.org has joined with Gap, Amazon, Starbucks and Ecolab to launch Get Blue, a global initiative to help the 2.1 billion people who lack safe water, and the 3.4 billion people who lack safe sanitation, access these essential resources.

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TIME - Water Will Be the Defining Business Issue of the Decade

Jan. 23, 2026

Water shapes how people spend their time, the choices available to them, and their ability to participate in community and economic life. For the estimated 2.1 billion people who lack access to safe water and the 3.4 billion who lack access to safe sanitation, water dictates everything.

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TIME - Vedika Bhandarkar Believes We Can Solve the Water Crisis in Our Lifetime

May 1, 2025

TIME profiles Water.org President & COO Vedika Bhandarkar as part of Gold House’s A100 List, honoring the most impactful Asian Pacific leaders. Drawing on her 25-year career in finance, Vedika is helping unlock capital and scale smart solutions to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation, driving progress toward a world where everyone everywhere has the resources they need to thrive.

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Impakter - Turning Challenges Into Choices: How Access to Safe Water Empowers Women

March 8, 2025

Access to safe water reshapes daily life — reducing hours spent collecting water and opening doors to education, income earning opportunities, and community leadership. On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women’s achievements and acknowledge the barriers many still face.

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A cyclist and a horse-cart carriage pass each other in a flooded area after heavy rain caused a river overflow, submerging scores of homes in Bandung, Indonesia on March 16, 2025. Timur Matahari—AFP/Getty Images
TIME - The Key to Solving the Global Water Crisis

March 22, 2025

The global water crisis is one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing humanity today. More than 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water, and 3.5 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation. This crisis undermines health and safety, education, and economic opportunity.

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Axios - Water.org’s Matt Damon and Gary White & Axios’ Amy Harder

Jan. 19, 2026

Axios national energy correspondent Amy Harder speaks to Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon to discuss the organization's announcement of its Get Blue initiative.

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Smart Water Magazine - Get Blue initiative unites global brands to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation

Jan. 19, 2026

Get Blue initiative unites global brands to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation.

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ETN - Gap, Amazon back safe water initiative

Jan. 19, 2026

Gap Inc. and Amazon join Starbucks and Ecolab join Water.org to launch Get Blue, a new global platform designed to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation. The initiative brings business leadership, consumer engagement, and capital together to help scale Water.org’s proven, market-driven solutions for families and communities worldwide.

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Axios - Matt Damon courts Davos set to partner with Water.org

Jan. 19, 2026

Water.org Co-Founders Gary White and Matt Damon took the stage at Axios House to announce their new initiative, Get Blue, to partner with corporations to help more people gain access to safe water.

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WEF - Why is 2026 the 'Year of Water'? Everything you need to know

Jan. 19, 2026

The world faces a global water cycle off-balance, affecting lives, livelihoods and undermining economic prosperity. Through Water.org's microfinance initiatives, 85 million people around the world can now turn on a tap or safely use a toilet because small, affordable loans gave them access to safe water or sanitation.

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Water.org Board of Directors Elects Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer Kara Hurst as Board Chair

Jan. 9, 2026

Water.org today announced the election of Kara Hurst, Chief Sustainability Officer at Amazon, as Chair of its Board of Directors. Hurst steps into the role as Water.org continues to scale its market-driven solutions to reach more families in need of access to safe water and sanitation.

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Impakter - Investing in People: The Path to Universal Access to Safe Water

Oct. 13, 2025

In Impakter, our Chief Global Impact Officer, Janet Tinsley, explores how safe water is one of the smartest investments the world can make to improve health, save time, and create opportunities for women and families. Drawing on more than a decade of leadership at Water.org, Janet outlines how innovative financing solutions are helping close the global financing gap and bring lasting access to safe water and sanitation to millions more people.

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Water.org Reaches More Than 81 Million People with Access to Safe Water or Sanitation

Oct. 7, 2025

Water.org has reached a new milestone, changing more than 81 million lives with access to safe water or sanitation. This milestone reflects the growing power of Water.org's solutions, which put choice and opportunity into the hands of people living in poverty.

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Global Heroes - Because of Safe Water, Learning Is Possible

Oct. 1, 2025

In Global Heroes, our Director of Insights, Heather Arney, reflects on how the back-to-school season reminds her of the opportunities that education creates — and the essential role safe water plays in unlocking them. Drawing from her early experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mauritania, Heather shares how witnessing the water crisis firsthand shaped her lifelong commitment to helping families access safe water and sanitation so that children have the time, health, and opportunity to learn.

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Impakter - Unlocking the Flow of Capital to End the Global Water Crisis

Sept. 11, 2025

In Impakter, our CEO and Co-founder, Gary White, explores how aligning capital across philanthropy, investment, and infrastructure is key to solving the global water crisis. Drawing on more than three decades of leadership in water and sanitation, Gary shares how Water.org, WaterEquity, and WaterConnect are working to bring lasting access to safe water and sanitation to families and communities around the world.

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TIME - Vedika Bhandarkar Believes We Can Solve the Water Crisis in Our Lifetime

May 1, 2025

TIME profiles Water.org President & COO Vedika Bhandarkar as part of Gold House’s A100 List, honoring the most impactful Asian Pacific leaders. Drawing on her 25-year career in finance, Vedika is helping unlock capital and scale smart solutions to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation, driving progress toward a world where everyone everywhere has the resources they need to thrive.

Read more
TIME - The Key to Solving the Global Water Crisis

March 22, 2025

The global water crisis is one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing humanity today. More than 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water, and 3.5 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation. This crisis undermines health and safety, education, and economic opportunity.

Read more