Decreasing costs, increasing impact

Written by Melanie Mendrys, Water.org Senior Director of Brand + Marketing

Published April 15, 2026

I started working at Water.org thirteen years ago and it cost $25 to empower one person in need with lasting access to safe water or sanitation. Today, it costs less than the chai teas I drink many mornings.

My chai, your coffee, maybe even a large soda on ice – these are choices, small daily rituals. For millions of women and children, mornings look very different. Each day begins with the long, laborious task of finding and collecting water – a task that steals time, opportunity and income.

Today, it costs $5 to change this. Here’s why and how. 

When I started, we celebrated a major milestone – one million people reached with safe water and sanitation. It mattered. At the same time, billions of people still lacked access to safe water and a safe toilet.

We knew with our solution called WaterCredit, we could reach more people, faster, and at a lower cost. WaterCredit works as a catalyst – every dollar goes further when applied through this solution.

Here’s how it works: With support from Water.org, our in-country financial partners offer affordable loans for water and sanitation. They attract capital to provide affordable loans to people in need.

Families use these loans to install taps or toilets in their homes, working with local providers to get the job done. On average, these improvements will last 20 years.

When a family repays their loan – 98% do – that money can be loaned out again, and then again. Each repaid loan creates the opportunity for another family to get the safe water they need, affordably, with solutions that last. As WaterCredit proved to work, we continued to pursue our vision.

As donor support grew and more partners started lending for water and sanitation, our impact increased and our costs to create that impact decreased. By staying committed to our efficient, sustainable solutions, it now costs $5 to empower someone in need with lasting access to safe water or sanitation.

You may be asking, “How can $5 give someone a long-term safe water or sanitation solution?”

It’s a fair question. Today’s cost per person is the result of past progress. As we expanded access to small, affordable loans for water and sanitation and the efficiency to do so, our cost to change lives went down.

That $5 reflects both the scale of lives changed and spending your money wisely.

By dividing our organizational expenses from fiscal year 2020 to 2024 by the number of people reached during the same period, the cost to reach one person with safe water or sanitation is $5.

Your money goes further with Water.org

We are focused on becoming more efficient so we can reach more people with safe water, faster. Your support helps us continue to change lives, together.

That means children can spend time in school instead of collecting water. Women can give their babies safe water to help them survive. Families can wash their hands to help keep them healthy.

When safe water comes home, so does time, so does health, so does life.