Water1st International

SEATTLE, Washington, 98101-1123 United States

Mission Statement

Water1st was created to help the world’s poorest people implement community-managed water projects that include a kitchen tap, a toilet, and a shower at every household. We work with local partner organizations in Ethiopia, Honduras, Bangladesh, Mozambique and Kenya to train community members to manage and maintain their systems. Our comprehensive and cost-effective approach impacts the health, economy, education, food security, and overall well-being of our project communities. We routinely visit our local partners and project communities to engage in rigorous monitoring and evaluation to guarantee that 100% of our systems are working. Our mission is to build high quality water projects that make a real difference in the lives of the people we serve.

About This Cause

Since 2005 our community has given over $19m to fund 3,129 water projects, forever changing the lives of over 225,216 people. We fund basic, cost-effective, complete solutions — piped water systems to individual households that provide every family with their own kitchen tap, flush toilet, and shower. Investing in the water and sanitation needs of the world’s poorest is the one activity that, when done properly, generates benefits that can lift a community out of extreme poverty. Water1st was created to support water projects that would last. Our vision was to support local, on-the-ground organizations (our partners in this work) with a proven track record of implementing effective, long-lasting water and sanitation projects. Why did the world need a new water and sanitation organization? Because 35-50% of water projects fail in the first 3 to 5 years after completion. That appalling statistic has remained true for the past 30 years. Why? Because fundraising for new projects often takes priority over monitoring the old projects. This means that less than 10% of projects receive any follow-up after the ribbon-cutting ceremony and organizations are not learning from past work and improving their outcomes. Rather than jump from country to country to fund projects, we work with local, in-country non-governmental agencies to build sustainable water projects and fund them year after year. As a result, our partners are able to retain qualified and experienced staff to implement long-term solutions with communities and local leaders. This approach also allows us to efficiently saturate a region with water and sanitation projects. On the fundraising side, we made a conscious decision to focus on grassroots funding from individuals. We encourage individuals to get involved and be part of this movement for positive change in the world. Today, we are a grassroots organization of more than 4,000 supporters across the country, all doing what we can in our individual lives and communities to bring clean water and toilets to the world’s poorest people. We also have a vibrant youth program with over 300 advocates across the country ensuring our future impact. In a world that entices us with new technologies, new inventions, and new gadgets, we have remained steadfast to our approach and mission. We believe in our model and our project success rate proves that it works. We hope you will join us in this exciting movement for effective, long-lasting change in the world – one water project, one community at a time. We believe that the world water crisis can be solved by a community of compassionate people supporting effective solutions together.

Water1st International
1904 3Rd Ave Ste 1012
SEATTLE, Washington 98101-1123
United States
Phone 2062973024
Twitter @Water1st
Unique Identifier 202601035