Sanitation stories

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.

All stories
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Now Tahmina and her baby can play

For many years Tahmina walked to and from her in-law’s to fill vessels, cups, and buckets of water for cooking and cleaning. This was time-consuming and for Tahmina, often difficult. Read about how her life changed after getting affordable access to safe water and improved sanitation at home.

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Ricardo - Peru
The solution for millions

Many people who lack access to water and sanitation know how to solve that problem. They just need a little financial help to make it possible. Dads like Ricardo share the desire of dads around the globe to give their families safe water at home. Making small, affordable loans available for people like Ricardo is how we’re making access to safe water and sanitation possible for all.

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Anah
Anah

Anah lives in rural Indonesia where she grows her family's food and enjoys hosting guests. Until recently she lacked an adequate supply of water to feed her livestock and water her crops. She also did not have a bathroom for her daughter and visitors. She longed to have water and a toilet and thanks to your support, she now has both.

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Improved sanitation brings comfort and safety

Andrea lives in Brazil. She provides for her family’s necessities like food and shelter, but beyond those things, she has not been in a financial position to save enough money to improve her family’s sanitation situation. Read how a small, affordable loan changed this.

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Dona
For some, access to water at home is a dream come true

For Dona Terezinha, access to water at home is a dream come true. Read about how, when the COVID-19 pandemic reached her community, she was empowered with the safe water and toilet she needed to protect herself and her grandson.

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Sarah and Steve
How Sarah and Steve gave their family safe water

An inspiring story from Kenya, watch as Sarah explains how she and her husband, Steve, were empowered with a small, affordable loan to give their family access to safe water at home.

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Glaucia
Glaucia's sanitation crisis solved

For Glaucia, paying a small amount each month to pay off a loan for a bathroom at home was both affordable and practical. She no longer had to worry about her family’s health and the medical expenses that came with poor hygiene issues. Glaucia gave her family a bathroom much sooner than she’d ever thought imaginable.

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Usha

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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Darshana

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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Hang and Phat have much to celebrate

Hang and Phat live in a rural Cambodian village. Their son recently announced his engagement to be married. It is traditional to host the celebration at the groom’s family home but Hang and Phat did not have a toilet. Read about how Water.org's work in Cambodia changed their story.

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The power of supporting one another

The people we serve are change agents capable of transforming their lives and communities. Journey with us to a village in rural Kenya where a small group of people worked together to make a big difference for themselves and their neighbors.

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Toilets are the beginning of bright futures

Before Vijayalakshmi had a toilet for her family to use at home, she and her children joined the more than 678 million others in India who lacked access to a safe toilet. 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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Together, we can empower more families with safe water.

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