Every drop counts: Improving the access to drinking water

Donate to improve the access to water

2.2 billion people still have no access to clean drinking water. Especially in Africa, but also in Asia and the Middle East, drinking water is still scarce. Help improves the water supply worldwide: we drill wells, build latrines, set up hand-washing stations and teach hygiene practices.

Donate now - for water is life!

Table of contents

What is the situation like?

Donate for Water — Help improves the water supply in poorer countries, for example by building wells.©ichtv

Water means life

Contaminated water is the main cause of disease transmission, such as cholera. 88 per cent of all diarrhoeal diseases are caused by dirty water. Every year, 3.4 million people die in connection with water-related diseases, according to WHO data.

In addition, many diseases result from the lack of sanitation. 4.2 billion people have no access to safe sanitation. Yet clean drinking water and hygienic sanitation for all could prevent nine out of ten cases of diarrhoea. This is a milestone - after all, diarrhoea accounts for 10 percent of all diseases worldwide.

The importance of having access to running water is particularly evident at the moment: washing hands thoroughly reduces the risk of contracting the coronavirus. But especially in poorer countries, many people do not have the opportunity to do this.

Water is also the basis for food. Without water, neither agriculture nor industry can be carried out. Food production is impossible without water. Water supply, food security and health are thus directly related - water means life.

What is Help doing to improve the access to water?

Clean water for all

Help is improving supplies of drinking water for people worldwide and is taking on the construction of urgently required sanitary facilities. We develop a concept together with the people affected on how we can supply their region with water sustainably and effectively.

We help by:

building wells,
building dams and water storage basins,
distributing water filters,
setting up solar-operated water pumps,
providing water tanks in emergencies,
setting up latrines,
providing training on hygiene standards,
and training courses on building and maintenance.

WASH-Network

The German WASH Network is an alliance of non-governmental organisations that share the common desire that every person in the world has access to drinking water and sanitation, and is informed about and applies the basic principles of hygiene.

Goals of the network:

Strengthening the WASH sector in Germany in humanitarian aid, reconstruction and development aid.
Together with its partners, the network helps to implement the human right to water and sanitation
The network helps to ensure that the issue of WASH is perceived as a global problem by civil society, politics, the economy, science and the public.

Through the network, Help can form partnerships with other organisations, keep up to date with the latest discussions in the sector and participate, and use the network to achieve important goals in the WASH sector. Competences of organisations that work very scientifically and/or are strong implementers are pooled here.

Photos from our projects

Spenden Wasser: Trinkwasserversorgung in Mali

Spenden Wasser: Brunnenbohrung in Simbabwe

Spenden Wasser: Trinkwasserversorgung im Irak

Spenden Wasser: Brunnenbohrung im Südsudan

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Our projects

Iraq: Sustainable rehabilitation of water systems

In the summer of 2014, the infrastructure around Mosul was largely destroyed by the armed conflict. After the liberation of Mosul in 2017, Help reacted immediately with emergency aid measures and initially provided 14,000 people with vital water supplies by tanker truck over a period of five months.

In addition, Help has been working closely with the WASH Cluster Iraq since 2017 to rebuild the destroyed drinking water infrastructure. Over 327,000 people have already benefited from the aid measures - through our work in Iraq, a further 175,000 people will have access to clean drinking water in 2020.

In addition to repairing and developing wells, Help is building water tanks and rehabilitating pumping stations and water treatment plants in the Ninewa region. So far, we have laid water pipes over a distance of more than 77 kilometres, thus ensuring the sustainable supply of clean drinking water for the local population.

South Sudan: Improving access to drinking water

In South Sudan, many people have no access to clean drinking water. This makes them particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases such as cholera or COVID-19. Help is active in the Lakes State region and is currently drilling 20 wells. This gives 50,000 people access to clean drinking water.

In addition, we repair defective wells and train 100 mechanics and 100 water committees. In this way, we strengthen the self-help capacities of the people so that they can maintain the wells.

In addition, we are training 50 hygiene promoters to educate the population about important hygiene practices. In this way, 50,000 people gain a better understanding of hygiene and can protect themselves against diseases.

Chad: Water supply thanks to solar power

In Chad, Help provides clean drinking water to around 15,000 refugees and locals in Am Nabak. At the beginning of the aid measures, the refugee camp was still supplied with water by tanker truck. In the meantime, Help has built eight wells together with the residents of the camp and installed a permanent water system. In 2013, the water pumps were switched to solar energy. With a daily pumping capacity of 160,000 litres, it is the largest solar-powered drinking water system in Chad.

The refugees and locals thus have assured access to clean drinking water - and climate-friendly too. Due to the great success of the solar-powered drinking water plant, communities in the surrounding area are now planning similar systems for environmentally friendly water supply.