Water and sanitation projects are a time-consuming business. But taking the time to do the job right pays off.
We want to make sure that a community is getting the maximum benefit of their charity: water project. Our partners engage with the community for upwards of a year to ensure they feel a sense of ownership for the project. Field teams spend months building skills and community buy-ins, shifting local standards to adopt new behaviors and practices.
We fund programs in some of the most challenging areas in the world. These countries are susceptible to natural disasters, political unrest, a severe lack of resources, and are often disproportionately impacted by global economic shifts. Even when our partners plan to a tee, these factors inevitably impact the timeline of our work.
Finally, we require an extensive collection of data once the project is finished. Collecting final photos, GPS coordinates, and other details from all our projects tacks on some extra time.
We allow 21 months because we don't consider a project "complete" until we know that all of its components are in place and working for the best of the community.
Learn more about what goes into a charity: water project here. Watch a video about the challenges a village in Malawi overcame to get clean water in their community.