Clean water
Water purification
Household filters that make river and rain water safe to drink.
Illustrative photo: Jeff Ackley / Unsplash
Objective for the 2026 funding round
Put a ceramic or bio-sand filter in 1,500 homes and train each household to use and clean it, cutting diarrhoea among young children.
Who it reaches: Families who drink from rivers, ponds or unprotected wells and can't boil water every day.
Target$61,655
Funding for this cause closes in
From $80: household water filters for two families of six.
The need
Where boreholes are not possible yet, families drink what they can collect. A ceramic or bio-sand filter removes most bacteria and cuts diarrhoeal disease, a leading killer of young children.
Why give to this cause
- A household filter is one of the lowest-cost ways to make water safe to drink.
- Families are trained to use and clean their filters, and follow-up visits check they are still in use.
- Where a borehole is years away, a filter protects a family's health right now.
What your gift does
- $80household water filters for two families of six
- $120filters for three families, with training
- $900a filter and hygiene programme for a whole school
Where your donation goes
The planned budget for this cause. Every quarter, the field report shows what was actually spent against each line.
- FiltersLocally made ceramic and bio-sand filters.50%$60 of $120
- Household trainingHome visits to install filters and teach safe storage.20%$24 of $120
- Community health promotersHygiene sessions at schools and clinics.15%$18 of $120
- Follow-up and replacementsChecking filters are used and replacing cracked ones.7%$8 of $120
- Monitoring and reportingWater tests and diarrhoea rates before and after.8%$10 of $120
How we do it
- 1
Community health workers select households with young children and no safe source.
- 2
Families are trained to use and clean the filter, and sign for it.
- 3
Follow-up visits at one and six months check it is in use.
- 4
Diarrhoea cases at the local clinic are tracked before and after.
The impact your gift will have
- Families drink clean water every day from a filter in their own home.
- Fewer children fall ill with diarrhoea, one of the most common and preventable causes of child illness.
- Households spend less on medicine and on fuel for boiling water.
What we measure and report
Targets for the 2026 funding round. Results against each one are published in the quarterly field report sent to every donor to this cause.
| Measure | Target |
|---|---|
| Filters distributed | 1,500 |
| Filters in use after 6 months | 85% |
| People drinking filtered water | 9,000 |
| Reduction in child diarrhoea cases | 30% |
Join in the cause today
Make an impactful change in Africa.
Donate to water purificationFund water purification
Your gift goes to this programme. You'll get an email receipt now and the field report every quarter.
Funding for this cause closes in
Choose an amount
- $80household water filters for two families of six
- $120filters for three families, with training
- $900a filter and hygiene programme for a whole school
Gifts start at $50. Choose your own amount on the next page.
More clean water causes
Clean waterWells and boreholes
Drill a borehole and end the daily walk for water.
$50 clean water for one person for 10 years.
Target$72,201
Donate
Clean waterSanitation projects
Toilets and handwashing stations for schools and villages.
$60 handwashing stations with soap for two classrooms.
Target$56,858
DonateQuestions donors ask
How much does it cost to build a water well in Africa?
A borehole costs several thousand dollars to drill, test and equip, depending on depth and ground conditions. You don't need to fund a whole well: every gift is pooled toward the next borehole, and the Wells and boreholes page shows what each amount buys.
How do I donate to clean water projects in Africa?
Choose a clean water cause and give online. Choose a cause, enter your amount in US dollars and pay securely by Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay or cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, Ethereum, USDT and 100+ coins). You get an email receipt straight away and a field report every quarter.
How do you make sure water wells keep working?
Every water point has a trained local committee and a repair fund, and we check that it is still working 12 months after it is built.