Together, we've empowered millions of people with access to safe water and sanitation. We invite you to meet some of them and read their stories.
Water.org's Managing Director of India, Vedika Bhandarkar, describes how financial inclusion for women and families in need of water can change their lives. Through the story of Chumki who used a small, affordable loan to give her family water, Vedika explains how time spent collecting water can now be used to increase household income.
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In a small community outside of Hyderabad, India, Usha is one of many women who used small, affordable loans to construct a water tap or toilet at home.
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In a village in Western India lives a woman named Darshana. Darshana and her husband have a humble home on a small piece of land. Together with their two children, the family works hard to make enough to pay for their living expenses however, they often struggle to accomplish this. They lack access to a toilet and this poses an issue to their health and safety.
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Before Vijayalakshmi had a toilet for her family to use at home, she and her children joined the more than 200 million others in India who went outdoors. Unsafe and unhealthy, Vijayalakshmi had to find an affordable, sustainable way to give her family a sanitation solution at home. Through Water.org's partners in India, she did. Read her story.
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When you increase access to affordable financing, you increase smiles. This is because women like Rosalyn can finally afford to give their families some of life's most basic necessities. Read Rosalyn's story.
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Water makes time for school possible for kids in Rasulpar and around the world. When kids have access to safe water at home they can walk to school instead of walk to collect water.
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India is the second most populous country in the world, with more than 1 billion citizens. Roughly half of India’s population, a staggering 522 million, practice open defecation. Read about how families are using small, affordable loans to end this practice and give their kids bright futures.
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Homes in Rehana’s village are simple. Made of thatch and mud and concrete, the humble structures offer a haven for rest and play, but rarely do they have water or sanitation connections. While her husband worked and her children went to school, Rehana walked up to six hours a day to get water for cooking, laundry, and baths.
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Evidence found through Water.org’s programs demonstrates that household access to water and/or sanitation can liberate anywhere from six to 14 hours a week to be reallocated from tending to water and sanitation needs to however an individual chooses. While not every person with access to improved water and/or sanitation ultimately opts to use this extra time to earn additional income, the majority of people empowered through the work of Water.org direct their newly-freed time towards income-generating activities.
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Watch as we share with you how WaterCredit progressed into what is now a solution that is empowering millions of people in need in India and around the world.
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Gary White, Co-Founder & CEO of Water.org, has been working to improve lives with access to safe water for more than twenty years. These two decades of experience led Gary to realize that the traditional cycle of philanthropy (spend money to provide water, and raise money for the next village) would never solve the water crisis for every person on the planet. There had to be a better path.
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Access to safe water is a conduit to help people achieve their full potential. But, access to safe water can be expensive when you are a family living below the poverty line in India. Families pay 5 to 10 times what others may pay who live above the poverty line. It is in this juxtaposition that we understand why some may be prohibited from achieving much more than survival. And, it is why Water.org is connecting with institutions in India to bring solutions to meet the water and sanitation needs of families.
Read moreTogether, we can empower more families with safe water.
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