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Just a Drop was founded in 1998, setting out with the mission to support communities around the world with access to sustainable safe water solutions – from the construction (or rehabilitation) of hand-dug and drilled wells, pipelines, sand dams, rainwater harvesting systems and latrines to implementing hygiene and sanitation programmes. Now, 25 years later, we have reached over 1.9 million people across 32 countries, focusing its efforts in Cambodia, Kenya, Nicaragua, Uganda and Zambia.

Just a Drop is a ‘WASH’ organisation – which stands for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene- stressing that all these aspects intertwine. Sustainability is at the heart of all our water security projects, which are community-led, community-owned and designed to support future generations. 

During a recent SWIDN working group on Climate Action (Climate is Water), it was acknowledged that working towards Sustainable Development Goal 6 Water and Sanitation we will inevitably impact a further 6 goals. We recognised this through our holistic approach, that we cannot work in isolation on water security alone. We adjust our strategy and project design according to the needs of the communities they support. As these needs grow or change, so does Just a Drop’s work. Currently, food security, income generation, menstrual health management and carbon action plan are the organisation’s latest project focus points.

We met Patricia* during a recent trip to Kenya in late 2022. Patricia had an indomitable energy and sense of fun about her, and is clearly a driving force for good in her community. Patricia has 6 children aged 10 to 28 and she used to spend 3 hours walking to collect water, faced a long queuing time and then walking 3 hours back again. She said ‘waste of time hey!’ with a grin. She is very happy now to be able to go down to the sand dam nearby to collect water. She’s now able to do more farm work, her livestock are healthier, she has grown a kitchen garden, her children can take water to school and said proudly that ‘they are very clean!’. 

There are so many positive impacts from access to safe water, for communities’ health and wellbeing, as well as time gained back and the opportunities that it brings. Alongside the construction of a sand dam, Patricia was part of a programme which included training on tree planting, soil conservation, liquid soap making and how to rear drought tolerant crops, none of which would be possible without water security. 

For World Water Day, 22nd March, Just a Drop is launching a campaign on Twitter which we’d love you to be involved in.

Follow us on Twitter (@Just_a_Drop) to see the campaign go live on the run up to World Water Day.

Find out more about our work at www.justadrop.org. 

*names changed

Blog and photo kindly provided by Just a Drop

Originally posted on February 27th 2023