Brazil
Brazil's water and sanitation crisis
Despite having one of the largest economies and highest water availability in the world, there are still deep inequalities in access to water and sanitation among Brazil’s geographical regions, rural and urban communities and households. Out of its population of 215 million people, 27 million people (12% of the population) lack access to safe water and 108 million people (50%) lack access to a safe toilet.
For those who do have access to safe water, the water supply downtime, disruption in service and deficiencies in drinking water systems remain challenging. Current challenges include getting consistent access to water in urban areas (where water is less available), developing infrastructure that reaches people living in more rural areas, and managing the growing sewage treatment issue caused by lack of improved sanitation solutions.
Brazil is heavily dependent on hydraulic energy and droughts impact all Brazilians from reducing the supply of food developed by farms and agribusinesses of all sizes, to affecting the financial expenses of families across the country as inflation increases. Affordable access to safe water and sanitation at home is critical for families in Brazil.
Our impact in Brazil
Brazil’s high demand for water and sanitation services and advanced financial landscape positively indicates that smart, market-based solutions have the potential to accelerate water and sanitation access across the country. Currently, there are large disparities in access to financing for those living in poverty, and banking policies and perceptions remain stacked against the people we serve. Water.org is working to change this.
In 2017, we certified our first microfinance institution partner and began piloting our WaterCredit solution. Since then, Water.org has brought on additional financial partners and expanded our work in the region, reaching more than 863,000 people with access to safe water or sanitation, with executing plans to scale impact in the future.
A vision for future impact in Brazil
We are building a solid foundation in Brazil, leveraging lessons learned from pilot programs in select Brazilian states to scale the most promising approaches nationwide. These include scaling WaterCredit, supporting water utilities in their service delivery, and focusing on connecting households at the “last mile” with water and sanitation infrastructure. We see the most potential in working with commercial banks and will work with a variety of other partners – including microfinance institutions, credit cooperatives, government banks, water utilities, and key policymakers – to develop water and sanitation lending programs that are accessible and affordable to people in need.
Brazil impact statistics
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