How The Water Project Works
Anyone can dig a hole. Anyone can send money to Africa to fund a well. Anyone can take a picture of water flowing and claim success.
But it takes trained and committed teams working in collaboration to build a water project on a strong foundation that ensures lasting worth and life changing impact.
A water project costs more than a well.
A comprehensive, sustainable water project costs time, commitment, investment in people, a willingness to measure and admit both success and failures, and a passion to care for people more than hardware.
The Water Project is working very hard to build long-term, truly sustainable water projects that are held to a measurable standard of success over the long term. We're less interested in an ever growing tally of projects than we are in seeing lives changed.
So...how do we do that? In the sections that follow, you can read about the process we have developed so far. We're always measuring, always questioning and always learning - so this will change as we learn.
As we like to say, if this were easy, it'd be done already.
The Water Project Process
Learn why the communties we serve are involved at every step of the process. Find out why it's critical to success.
Clean, safe water can be a new concept in a village. Understanding concepts like hand-washing and proper use of latrines is key to maximizing the benefits of a new well.
From filing for permits to installing a well pump or other hardware, a lot goes into the construction phase of a water project like a well. Learn how our partner drills a well.
The exciting moment when water flows and a community celebrates their new water source is just the beginning.
Did it work? Is it still working? Was anyone really helped? If we don't ask, we'll never know. Discover why follow-up is so essential.