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IMPACTING GENERATIONS

Water For People Receives $15M donation from MacKenzie Scott Gift from billionaire philanthropist will be used to scale sustainable water and sanitation solutions globally

Water For People, a nonprofit working across Latin America, Asia, and Africa to sustainably address the global water crisis, announced a transformational gift of $15 million from noted philanthropic leader MacKenzie Scott on Wednesday. 

This donation will underpin the Destination 2030 strategy, which aims to strengthen and transform sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems through partnership, ultimately reaching more than 200 million people globally by 2030.

There are 2 billion people who lack access to safe water and sanitation which leads to millions of preventable deaths each year. Women and girls are left walking miles each day for water for their families and dropping out of school when their periods come. Without focused attention and investment, the poor, the most marginalized, and those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change are left behind with faulty infrastructure, contaminated water supplies, unsafe conditions, and diminished economic opportunities.

"The water crisis is solvable," says Water For People Co-CEO Mark Duey. "What has been missing is the catalytic funding needed to scale our systems-change approaches in communities around the world. MacKenzie’s gift means that Water For People is able to ramp up quickly and bring our proven solution into more communities throughout the world. This is essential as we look towards delivering our ambitious Destination 2030 strategy. The fact that she is gifting this without restrictions means that we – along with our partners – can truly create sustainable, generations-lasting change."

Accelerating progress toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) – water and sanitation for all by 2030 – is no small undertaking. Water For People invites partners, donors, and governments to join in closing the gap for the estimated 2 billion plus people globally who still lack sustainable access to safe water, and the over 4 billion who lack access to safely managed sanitation. The World Bank estimates that achieving SDG 6 will cost approximately US $114 billion a year.

"We are so grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her belief in our mission and her trust in our local teams to create generational impact around the world. Access to clean water is a human right," says Katherine Williford, Chief Growth Officer. "We are committed to leveraging this investment to ensure everyone – including the hardest-to-reach – has access to safe and reliable water services, forever."

About Water For People:
Born out of the American Water Works Association in 1991 in Denver, Colorado, Water For People works across nine countries to achieve lasting access to clean water and sanitation services. In bringing together communities, local entrepreneurs, and governments to build, operate, and maintain their own systems, Water For People ensures that every family, health clinic, and school has access to safe water and sanitation that will last for generations to come. This model, called Everyone Forever, establishes sustainability for generations.

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Stats

Numbers around the global water crisis and Water For People's progress.

Media Contact

Hope Voelkel 
Director, Strategic Communications
[email protected]

QUOTES

Portrait of Mark Duey

"The water crisis is solvable. What has been missing is the catalytic funding needed to scale our systems-change approaches in communities around the world. MacKenzie’s gift means that Water For People is able to ramp up quickly and bring our proven solution into more communities throughout the world. This is essential as we look towards delivering our ambitious Destination 2030 strategy. The fact that she is gifting this without restrictions means that we – along with our partners – can truly create sustainable, generations-lasting change."

Mark Duey
Co-CEO, Water For People
Portrait of Samson Bekele

"We need others to be inspired by this gift. Our vision for the future is bold: sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene services for all by 2030. We need more unrestricted, philanthropic giving like MacKenzie’s to reach the more than 2 billion people globally who still lack safe water and sanitation. We are so grateful for her belief in us and her trust in our team to create profound change."

Samson Hailu Bekele
Co-CEO, Water For People

"We are so grateful to MacKenzie Scott for her belief in our mission and her trust in our local teams to create generational impact around the world. Water For People believes that access to clean water is a human right, and is committed to leveraging this investment to ensure everyone – including the hardest-to-reach, the most vulnerable, and the marginalized – has access to safe and reliable water services, forever."

Katherine Williford
Chief Growth Officer, Water For People

"Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being. Billions of people will lack access to these basic services in 2030 unless progress quadruples."

Antonio Guterres
UN Secretary-General
EN