It was announced yesterday, July 15, that Matt Damon, co-founder of H2O Africa, has joined forces with Gary White, co-founder of WaterPartners to create the new nonprofit organization, Water.org. Water.org will incorporate work from both organizations to resolve issues to bring safe water and sanitation to the world.
For sanitation, bathing and cooking necessities, the average person requires about 13 gallons of water every day. Sadly, nearly 890 million people in the world are without safe water and 2.5 billion people are without sanitation. Consequently, 3.5 million die each year from some water-related disease.
Damon stated "Every 15 seconds, a child in the developing world dies from water-related disease. After visiting project sites in Africa and Asia with Gary, I’ve seen the problem and the impact of safe water. As a clear leader in the sector at delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for those in need, WaterPartners was the natural choice with whom to work to truly affect lasting change."
Curious on how you can help? Here are a few ideas:
- Visit Water.org for more information.
- Get the "Ripples" e-newsletter featuring the latest Stories, projects, events, and ways to help.
- Bring someone clean water by donating.
- Get involved at your school, community, and church to help spread the word.
With active projects in Africa, Asia and Central America, and partners in the United States, South Asia and Africa, Water.org hopes to fight the water crisis.
