WaterAid

WaterAid is an international non-governmental organization focused on water, sanitation and hygiene, commonly abbreviated as WASH. Established in the United Kingdom in 1981 by members of the UK water industry, it emerged in response to the United Nations International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. The organization began as a UK charitable trust and established some of its earliest projects in Zambia and Sri Lanka. Its work has since developed into a federation of national WaterAid members, an international secretariat and country programmes operating with local partners. WaterAid’s central purpose is to help people living in poverty gain reliable access to clean water, safe sanitation and practical hygiene services. Its programmes typically combine physical infrastructure with community participation, local skills development, hygiene behaviour change and institutional strengthening. Activities can include constructing or rehabilitating wells, boreholes, water systems and toilets; supporting faecal-sludge and wastewater management; improving handwashing facilities; training local artisans and service providers; and helping communities and public institutions manage water resources sustainably. The organization also works with governments, water utilities and civil-society organizations to influence national policy and public investment. The group’s approach is not limited to delivering individual facilities. WaterAid emphasizes systems that can continue operating after a project ends, including local maintenance capacity, inclusive planning, public accountability and collaboration with government authorities. It generally supports public ownership and control of water supplies while not prescribing a single model for whether service provision should be public, community-based or private. Its programmes seek to address the needs of groups that are often excluded from services, including women, children, people with disabilities, older people and marginalized rural or urban communities. WaterAid became a federation in 2010, creating the WaterAid International Secretariat and linking national members. The federation includes members in Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States, alongside regional offices and programmes in additional countries. The organization reported operating in 30 countries as of 2025, while reference material also describes partnerships and activities across a broader group of countries and regions. WaterAid India, for example, works with central, state and local authorities and has expanded direct implementation in rural and urban communities. Its work includes water-security planning, sanitation-chain management, hygiene education and rural faecal-sludge treatment. Fundraising is an important part of WaterAid’s public profile. The organization has maintained a long association with the Glastonbury Festival, organized sponsored walks and sporting challenges, and receives support from institutional, corporate and philanthropic donors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it participated in hygiene and behaviour-change programmes intended to expand handwashing facilities, distribute hygiene materials and support public confidence in vaccination. In 2022 it launched its first legacy-focused campaign, seeking donations through wills. WaterAid’s scale has grown substantially from its early years. The organization’s annual income was reported as approximately £1 million in 1987 and £113 million in 2018–19, although these figures relate to specific historical periods and should not be treated as current financial data. Its public mission remains centered on making safe water, sanitation and hygiene normal and sustainable for everyone, with particular attention to communities facing poverty, exclusion and weak public infrastructure.

WaterAid was created in the United Kingdom in 1981 by members of the water industry who had gathered at the Thirsty Third World conference in London. It was formally established as a charitable trust on 21 July 1981, in the context of the United Nations International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. The organization’s first projects were established in Zambia and Sri Lanka, setting the pattern for an approach that combined practical infrastructure with community development. During the 1980s and early 1990s, WaterAid expanded its project portfolio and international reach. In 1993 it began work on its 1,000th project and agreed to support the Hitosa Gravity Scheme in Ethiopia. At the time, Hitosa was described as the largest single water-supply scheme implemented in Ethiopia, reaching approximately 50,000 people. WaterAid also developed country programmes in which local communities, government bodies and local organizations participated in planning, construction and long-term management. The organization’s public standing increased during the 1990s and 2000s. It became a Stockholm Water Prize laureate in 1995 and was named UK Charity of the Year at the Charity Times Awards in 2003. In 2006, Third Sector magazine reported that WaterAid had been voted Britain’s most admired charity by peers in the voluntary sector. Fundraising partnerships also became increasingly important. WaterAid has been associated with the Glastonbury Festival since 1994, where volunteers have supported festival sanitation and public engagement activities. By the 2010s, the festival presence included hundreds of volunteers and interactive installations such as celebrity-voiced “Talking Toilets.” The federation model developed progressively. WaterAid America and WaterAid Australia were established in 2004, WaterAid Sweden in 2009, and the organization became a formal federation in 2010 with an international secretariat. WaterCan/EauVive, a Canadian non-governmental organization founded in 1987, joined the federation as WaterAid Canada in 2014. The federation subsequently linked national members in Australia, Canada, India, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States with regional offices and country programmes elsewhere. In 2009, WaterAid launched a global strategy that aimed to reach 25 million additional people across 30 countries by 2015. By its thirtieth anniversary in 2011, it reported having reached almost 16 million people with safe water and more than 11 million with sanitation. A further 2015–2020 global strategy described the mission as transforming the lives of the poorest people through sanitation, hygiene and safe water. WaterAid’s work has included both direct service delivery and institutional advocacy. It partners with local organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, Central America and the Pacific, while working with governments and utilities to improve policy, budgeting and accountability. Country initiatives demonstrate the variety of this model. In Zambia, projects have included rural wells, boreholes, sanitation facilities, hygiene education and self-supply schemes in which trained local masons provide services to households. In India, WaterAid has worked since 1986 and, from 2022, expanded direct implementation in rural and urban areas. Its Indian programmes include water-security planning, support for the Swachh Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission, sanitation-chain management and construction of a rural faecal-sludge treatment plant in Indore District. The organization also responded to the COVID-19 crisis through hygiene and behaviour-change partnerships. In collaboration with Unilever and other partners, the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition supported handwashing facilities, hygiene supplies and public-health messaging in countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zambia. Nigeria was included in a subsequent phase with support from the Heineken Africa Foundation. WaterAid continues to finance its work through individual donations, legacy giving, fundraising events, grants and institutional or corporate partnerships. Its income grew from approximately £1 million per year in 1987 to £113 million in 2018–19. As of 2025, reference material describes the organization as operating in 30 countries. Its continuing emphasis is on sustainable services, locally managed systems, inclusive access and policy change rather than short-term infrastructure alone.

• 2022

  Legacy-giving campaign launched

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  WaterAid launched the “What Jack gave” campaign focused on gifts left through wills.

• 2014

  WaterCan joins as WaterAid Canada

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  Canadian organization WaterCan/EauVive joined the federation under the WaterAid Canada name.

• 2010

  International federation formed

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  WaterAid adopted a federation structure and created the WaterAid International Secretariat.

• 2004

  North American and Australian members established

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  WaterAid America and WaterAid Australia were established as national members.

• 1995

  Stockholm Water Prize recognition

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  WaterAid became a laureate of the Stockholm Water Prize.

• 1993

  First thousand projects and Hitosa support

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  WaterAid began work on its 1,000th project and agreed to fund Ethiopia’s Hitosa Gravity Scheme, which reached about 50,000 people.

• 1981

  WaterAid is established in the United Kingdom

  [1]WaterAiden.wikipedia.org

  Members of the UK water industry established WaterAid as a charitable trust on 21 July 1981, following the Thirsty Third World conference and the UN water and sanitation decade.

International development organization specializing in water, sanitation and hygiene implementation, systems strengthening and advocacy for underserved communities.

• Water infrastructure and services

  Safe water access programmes

  WaterAid supports communities and public authorities in developing sustainable sources of safe water, including wells, boreholes, gravity-fed systems and local water-supply infrastructure. Projects generally include community participation, local maintenance skills, water-quality considerations and planning for long-term operation rather than simply installing equipment.

• Sanitation and public health

  Sanitation programmes

  Sanitation work includes household and institutional toilets, safely managed sanitation chains, fecal-sludge management and wastewater solutions. WaterAid also supports inclusive design and behaviour change so that sanitation facilities are usable by children, older people and people with disabilities and remain safe after construction.

• Hygiene and health education

  Hygiene behaviour-change programmes

  The organization develops handwashing, household cleanliness and other hygiene initiatives through community education, public facilities, local training and communications. During the COVID-19 response, these capabilities were used to expand handwashing infrastructure, distribute hygiene essentials and support public-health messaging.

• International development advisory services

  Policy and technical assistance

  WaterAid works with governments, utilities, civil-society groups and other partners on WASH policy, planning, financing, regulation and technical standards. The objective is to strengthen public systems and ensure that poor and excluded communities are included in national water and sanitation programmes.

• 2025Team Water

  International

  WaterAid participated in Team Water, a fundraising initiative seeking resources for clean drinking-water access.

  Outcome. The campaign reportedly reached its US$40 million goal, intended to support clean-water access for two million people.

  Source
• 2022What Jack gave

  United Kingdom

  WaterAid’s first legacy campaign encouraged supporters to consider charitable gifts through wills.

  Outcome. Legacy income was described as accounting for approximately 10 percent of total income at the time of the reference.

  Source
• 2016Talking Toilets

  United Kingdom

  WaterAid introduced interactive talking toilets at Glastonbury, using celebrity voices to communicate messages about water, sanitation and hygiene.

  Outcome. The installation increased the visibility of WASH issues within the festival fundraising programme.

  Source
• 2005Coast Along for WaterAid

  United Kingdom

  The organization ran a sponsored walking event along sections of the South West Coast Path.

  Outcome. The event was held annually through 2012 and generated public participation and fundraising.

  Source
• 1994Glastonbury Festival partnership

  United Kingdom

  WaterAid began an enduring fundraising and public-engagement association with the Glastonbury Festival. Volunteers have supported festival activities, sanitation-related education and fundraising.

  Outcome. The initiative expanded to hundreds of volunteers and became one of WaterAid’s best-known UK fundraising partnerships.

  Source

• 2020

  Expanded COVID-19 hygiene responseOther

  Background

  The COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for handwashing facilities, hygiene information and public-health support.

  Action taken

  Through the Hygiene and Behaviour Change Coalition and partner organizations, WaterAid supported mass handwashing facilities, hygiene supplies and behaviour-change work in multiple countries.

  Aftermath

  Reference material reports that an initial phase reached 152 million people across Ethiopia, Ghana, Nepal, Pakistan, Tanzania and Zambia, with a later phase including Nigeria.

  Source

• 2015

  Launched the 2015–2020 global strategyStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought to build on its earlier global strategy and maintain focus on the poorest communities.

  Action taken

  WaterAid adopted a strategy centered on transforming lives through access to sanitation, hygiene and safe water.

  Aftermath

  The strategy reinforced the organization’s combined emphasis on implementation, behaviour change, systems strengthening and advocacy.

  Source

• 2010

  Adopted a federation structureStrategy

  Background

  WaterAid had developed national organizations and programmes outside the United Kingdom and needed a structure for coordinated international work.

  Action taken

  The organization formed WaterAid International and established an international secretariat linking national members and country programmes.

  Aftermath

  WaterAid became a coordinated international federation with members in several countries and programmes across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

  Source

1. 1WaterAiden.wikipedia.org