Charity: water (stylized as charity: water) is a non-profit organization that provides clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. The organization was founded in 2006 and has helped fund 24,537 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 7.3 million people. Overall, the organization has raised over US$200 million as of January 11, 2016.
History
The Spring - The charity: water story - The charity: water story http://cwtr.org/2btdilD Ten years ago, former nightclub promoter Scott Harrison set out to solve the water crisis in his lifetime. Today, more than one million people...
Founder Scott Harrison was a New York City club promoter for ten years. From 2004, Harrison committed two years of his life to the poor and marginalized through volunteer service in Liberia with Mercy Ships. He traced problems surrounding education, safety, and health back to a lack of clean water and basic sanitation systems. Harrison began to tap his network in an attempt to get as many people as possible to support his cause.
Harrison founded the charity in 2006. In 2007, Harrison contacted several tech entrepreneurs for assistance and advise. One of charity: water's first supporters is Bebo’s Michael Birch, who was the first to respond with monetary, technical assistance, and introductions to influential leaders in Silicon Valley's technology industry. Birch redesigned the charities and personally donated $1 million.
In December 2012, charity: water received a $5 million grant from Google's Global Impact Awards. The grant was to fund the installation of 4000 sensors to report on status and working conditions of well installed in Ethiopia, Nepal, and a few other nations in Africa and Asia.
In 2015, charity: water partnered with the silicone bracelet company, Lokai, to further support their organization.
Operations
Based in New York City, charity: water uses both mainstream and social media platforms to raise awareness, including annual galas and events arranged via Twitter. The initiative has received donations from 300,000 individuals. It provides GPS coordinates and photos of the wells it builds. The organization has 70 full-time staff members, 10 interns and more than 800 volunteers. 100% of its public donations are used to fund clean water projects, as its operating costs are funded by private donors, foundations and sponsors.
Charity: water has raised more than $252 million for more than 23,000 water projects in 24 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.
Evaluations and criticism
Charity evaluator GiveWell published a review of the organization in December 2012. Their overall conclusion was that it "stands out from other organizations we have considered in some respects (such as conducting evaluations that include frank discussions of problems), but we remain uncertain about the humanitarian impact of their work and the relative effectiveness of their partner selection process." A piece by Anne Elizabeth Moore on Truthout stated that "questions about its impact and methods remain" and that "transparency may keep critics at bay, yet what remains unclear is exactly how many more people have reliable access to clean drinking water now than did six years ago."
As of May 2017, Charity Navigator rates the organization among their highest-rated charities, with a full 4 out of 4 stars. The charity has an overall rating of 92.29 out of 100 with an "Accountability & Transparency" score of a maximum of 100 and "Financial" rating of 89.11 as of January 2018. The charity has also received a "Vetted" seal on the Globalgiving page. Guidestar gave the organization a "Platinum Seal of Transparency"
References
External links
- Official website
