Location New York City Website charitywater.org Assets 24.11 million USD (2011) | Area served 24 countries Founder Scott Harrison Revenue 27.05 million USD (2011) | |
Type Non-governmental organization Mission bring clean, safe drinking water to people in developing nations Founded 2006, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States CEO Scott Harrison (7 Sep 2006–) Headquarters New York City, New York, United States Similar Waterorg, Pencils of Promise, CharityWatch, American Red Cross, DonorsChoose Profiles | ||
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 19,819 projects in 24 countries, benefiting over 6.1 million people. Overall, the organization has raised over US$200 million as of January 11, 2016.
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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 spent more than $155 million on more than 19,000 water projects in 24 countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi.
Charity water 2011 walk 4 water promo vid
History
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.
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."
As of FYE 2014, Charity Navigator rates the organization among their highest-rated charities, with a full 4 out of 4 stars, and an overall rating of 96.98 out of 100.
An op-ed analysis published in Truthout stated that "questions about its impact and methods remain".