Safe water is one of the smartest investments the world can make. It improves health, saves time, and creates opportunities for women and families. Yet today, 2.2 billion people — one in four globally — still live without it. In my role as Chief Global Impact Officer at Water.org, I’ve seen how access to safe water changes lives: children can attend school, women can earn an income, and families can build resilience to a changing environment.
The promise of safe water
When families gain lasting access to safe water and sanitation, everything changes. Mothers no longer spend hours walking to collect water. Children stay in school instead of missing class because of waterborne illness. Families save money, increase income, and are better positioned to break free from the cycle of poverty. This is the opportunity safe water brings — and it is still out of reach for 2.2 billion people.
At Water.org, we know the greatest barrier is financial. Families have the determination and solutions close at hand, and with access to affordable financing, they can make lasting improvements. Breaking down that barrier is at the core of our work, and it has already empowered more than 81 million people with access to safe water or sanitation, helping them change their lives and their futures.
The promise of SDG 6
The world has set a bold goal: universal access to safe water and sanitation by 2030. Progress has been made, and the path forward is clear. Achieving this vision requires closing a massive financing gap. According to the World Bank, an estimated $114 billion per year (starting from 2016) is needed to deliver safely managed water and sanitation for all by 2030, while current annual investment stands at $28.4 billion. That leaves a shortfall of more than $85 billion every year — more than three times current levels of investment.
Closing this gap is essential to unlocking improved health, increased school attendance, and economic opportunity that access to safe water and sanitation make possible.
The solution: unlocking capital for impact
At Water.org, we know this gap can be closed by harnessing the power of both philanthropy and investment. Through affordable financing and innovative partnerships, we unlock capital that enables families to secure safe water and sanitation solutions. This approach has already empowered more than 81 million people with lasting access to these essential resources, and it is the path to reaching millions more, faster, bringing us closer to achieving universal access to safe water and sanitation.
Bridging the financing gap: Our approach
Solving the global water and sanitation crisis requires more than one path. At Water.org, we combine philanthropy, investment, and project development to scale lasting solutions. Philanthropy lays the foundation. Investment accelerates scale. Infrastructure helps solutions reach the people who need them most.
Our three solutions work together to close the financing gap:
- WaterCredit – The first to put microfinance tools to work in the water and sanitation sector. Through partnerships with local financial institutions, WaterCredit helps bring small loans to those who need access to safe water and sanitation, helping families install solutions that work for them at home.
- WaterEquity – An asset manager dedicated to ending the global water crisis. By raising and deploying private capital, WaterEquity invests in financial institutions, enterprises, and infrastructure across Asia, Africa, and Latin America to scale proven solutions.
- WaterConnect – A project development company dedicated to creating investable opportunities in climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure. WaterConnect brings early-stage financing and technical expertise to strengthen local systems and expand service to communities in need of access to safe water and sanitation.
By working in partnership with local institutions and governments, we ensure that solutions are owned and sustained by the communities they serve. This is what makes our approach so powerful, inclusive, and built to last.
Empowering communities and building trust
At Water.org, we know that lasting solutions begin with trust. The most effective approaches come from the people we serve, which is why we partner with local financial institutions and governments that work directly with families and communities. This ensures solutions are accessible, owned, and sustained — built to last because they are chosen and led by the people who use them.
Trust-based philanthropy makes this possible. When donors provide flexible resources, they place confidence in families, communities, and local partners to lead the way. This kind of support sparks innovation, allowing us to take risks that investment capital alone cannot, and ensures that safe water and sanitation reach those who need it most.
Together — families, local partners, and funding partners — we create progress rooted in trust, where every contribution goes further and every solution has the greatest chance of lasting impact.
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Scaling impact: proof and ambition
The results demonstrate the power of our approach. Together, our solutions have:
- Reached more than 81 million people with safe water or sanitation
- Enabled 17.8 million loans, 90% of which went to women borrowers
- Mobilized with the help of our partners more than $7.1 billion in capital for water and sanitation solutions
And this is only the beginning. In 2024 alone, Water.org helped more than 10 million people gain access to safe water or sanitation. To put that growth in perspective, what once took us a year — reaching one million people — we now achieve in about five weeks. Building on this momentum, our goal is ambitious: to reach 200 million people by 2030, mobilizing billions more in capital to make it possible.
Behind these numbers are people experiencing real change: children with the time and health to go to school, women turning time saved into income and opportunity, and families living with safe water and sanitation at home. Closing the financing gap means reaching millions more with lasting access to essential resources, unlocking opportunity, and creating a future full of possibilities.
To achieve this vision, our strategy emphasizes two priorities:
- Scaling and diversifying partnerships by expanding WaterCredit among financial institutions and connecting them with capital to grow proven solutions.
- Expanding water and sanitation infrastructure solutions by collaborating with utilities and infrastructure providers to develop scalable projects designed to last.
These priorities will reach millions more people and build sustainable systems that serve communities for generations to come.
Looking forward
Our experience shows that smart solutions, backed by collective effort, are transforming lives today. As we look ahead, we know there is an enormous opportunity to reach millions more with safe water and sanitation.
By expanding financial partnerships and investing in resilient infrastructure, we can accelerate progress toward universal access. Together we can make it reality.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by the authors are their own, not those of Impakter.com — Cover Photo Credit: Water.org
