WaterPartners
Encyclopedia
WaterPartners International was an American
nonprofit
developmental aid organization
tasked with the specific purpose of providing safe drinking water
and sanitation
to people in developing countries. Founded in 1990, it has since provided safe drinking water and sanitation to more than 200 communities in eight countries – Bangladesh
, El Salvador
, Ethiopia
, Honduras
, Guatemala
, India
, Kenya
, and the Philippines
. The organization's co-founder and current executive director Gary White is also a founding board member of the Global Water Challenge
and Water Advocates.
In July 2009, WaterPartners International merged with H2O Africa to form Water.org
, co-founded by Matt Damon
and Gary White..
The organization conducts monitoring, evaluation, and original research programs. It has initiated third-party evaluations of its programs to determine how it is fulfilling its mission.
WaterPartners' stated vision is to work towards providing safe drinking water to everyone in the world.. Currently, approximately one in six people on earth lack access to safe source of drinking water. More than two billion people lack access to basic sanitation.
to fund water sanitation projects. Funding water supply projects through a combination of grants and loans is a new approach to the water sector. Until recently, almost all water projects facilitated by other nongovernmental organizations have been funded entirely by grants, even when the individuals served by the project have the means to share costs.
WaterPartners has received grants from organizations such as the PepsiCo
Foundation, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Open Square Foundation (previously called the Agora Foundation).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
nonprofit
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
developmental aid organization
Aid agency
An aid agency is an organisation dedicated to distributing aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government , between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizations...
tasked with the specific purpose of providing safe drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
and sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
to people in developing countries. Founded in 1990, it has since provided safe drinking water and sanitation to more than 200 communities in eight countries – Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The organization's co-founder and current executive director Gary White is also a founding board member of the Global Water Challenge
Global Water Challenge
The Global Water Challenge is a non- profit organization to provide safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene education worldwide to people who lack these services...
and Water Advocates.
In July 2009, WaterPartners International merged with H2O Africa to form Water.org
Water.org
Water.org is an American nonprofit developmental aid organization resulting from the merger between H2O Africa, co-founded by Matt Damon, and WaterPartners, co-founded by Gary White...
, co-founded by Matt Damon
Matt Damon
Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon is an American actor, screenwriter, and philanthropist whose career was launched following the success of the film Good Will Hunting , from a screenplay he co-wrote with friend Ben Affleck...
and Gary White..
Approach
WaterPartners' approach to implementing water projects involves four key components:- forging partnerships with local partner organizations in the countries it serves
- involving the community at each stage of the project
- selecting technology appropriate to the local community and their particular situation
- integrating all projects with health and hygiene education.
The organization conducts monitoring, evaluation, and original research programs. It has initiated third-party evaluations of its programs to determine how it is fulfilling its mission.
WaterPartners' stated vision is to work towards providing safe drinking water to everyone in the world.. Currently, approximately one in six people on earth lack access to safe source of drinking water. More than two billion people lack access to basic sanitation.
WaterCredit
WaterPartners projects are funded through grants, loans, or a combination of the two. Its loan program is called WaterCredit. It uses the concept of microcreditMicrocredit
Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit...
to fund water sanitation projects. Funding water supply projects through a combination of grants and loans is a new approach to the water sector. Until recently, almost all water projects facilitated by other nongovernmental organizations have been funded entirely by grants, even when the individuals served by the project have the means to share costs.
WaterPartners has received grants from organizations such as the PepsiCo
PepsiCo
PepsiCo Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Purchase, New York, United States, with interests in the manufacturing, marketing and distribution of grain-based snack foods, beverages, and other products. PepsiCo was formed in 1965 with the merger of the Pepsi-Cola Company...
Foundation, The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, and Open Square Foundation (previously called the Agora Foundation).
See also
- International developmentInternational developmentInternational development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
- Water crisisWater crisisWater crisis is a general term used to describe a situation where the available water within a region is less than the region's demand. The term has been used to describe the availability of potable water in a variety of regions by the United Nations and other world organizations...
- Water Credit in India
- Water supply and sanitation in BangladeshWater supply and sanitation in BangladeshWater supply and sanitation in Bangladesh is characterized by a number of achievements and challenges. The share of the population with access to an improved water source was estimated at 98% in 2004, a very high level for a low-income country. This has been achieved to a large extent through the...
- Water supply and sanitation in El SalvadorWater supply and sanitation in El SalvadorAccess to water supply and sanitation in El Salvador remains low, despite recent increases in coverage, which leads to negative impacts on productivity and health in particular of the rural poor. Water resources are heavily polluted and the great majority of wastewater is discharged without any...
- Water supply and sanitation in EthiopiaWater supply and sanitation in EthiopiaAccess to water supply and sanitation in Ethiopia is amongst the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and the entire world. While access has increased substantially with funding from external aid, much still remains to be done to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of halving the share of people...
- Water supply and sanitation in GuatemalaWater supply and sanitation in GuatemalaThe water supply and sanitation sector in Guatemala is characterized by low and inconsistent service coverage, especially in rural areas; unclear allocation of management responsibilities; and little or no regulation and monitoring of service provision....
- Water supply and sanitation in Honduras
- Water supply and sanitation in the PhilippinesWater supply and sanitation in the PhilippinesIn the Philippines, coverage and quality of water supply and sanitation suffer from low investment rates, many small supply systems, a fragmented sector structure, and increasing pollution of water resources....