July 2025 Kokelo and Nyatigo Project Update
Water1st’s local partner, KWAHO, is leading the development of two separate piped water systems serving the communities of Kokelo and Nyatigo. Kokelo: Expanding Household Connections Since January 2025, community members in Kokelo have contributed significant labor to complete the water system. Volunteer crews installed the final sections of pipeline, bringing every household within reach of […]
July 2025 Emukoye Project Update
CABDA continues to expand the Emukoye project, extending service to additional villages. As of January 2025: 101 water connections completed in Phase 1 of the project (primarily in Emukoye village), 119 connections completed in Phase 2 (primarily in Musango and Mulwanda) As of June 2025: An additional 50 connections completed in Musango and Mulwanda Total […]
Sept 2024 Emukoye Project Update
Trenching moves forward swiftly in Musango and Mulwanda. The Emukoye project continues to progress smoothly. The water management committee is taking over the operation and maintenance responsibility of the water system. Currently, the committee meets twice a month to conduct business and has issued and collected two months worth of water bills. Also, they conducted […]
Sept 2024 Kokelo Project Update
Teresa now has a tap in her home! The Kokelo project prioritized service to vulnerable households, It’s always rewarding to see elderly residents able to collect water at a household tap. At the time of our September visit, 19 households were receiving daily service from Kokelo’s water supply system, far short of the 148 connections […]
Meet Frida of Emukoye, Kenya
Frida Mumbwe described her vision of water at her home as “freedom.” The announcement of a new water system in Emukoye, Kenya was met with strong emotions—joy, gratitude, singing, dancing, thanks to God, and tears. During a recent visit, Frida shared her experience walking for water and her gratitude for a new water project. “I […]
From the Field: Meet the inspiring leaders of Dargah Sharif, Bangladesh
Empowering Community Leaders Meet the leaders of Dargah Sharif, a neighborhood of Khulna, Bangladesh, home to 3,000 people. This committee was organized and trained by our local partner Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK) to address the water & sanitation needs of their community and, in the committee’s words, ‘to reduce inequality.’ Their accomplishments are inspiring. Seeking […]
Decentralized wastewater treatment R&D
Visit the community of Tarabo, Bangladesh: “Now we feel good about our neighborhood.” Only 2% of wastewater for 18 million people living in Dhaka is treated before discharge to waterways Over 18 million people live in the Dhaka metro area, with 4 million living in informal housing surrounding the city. Dhaka is located on the […]
Doña Lidia: We are different now than before. We feel differently about ourselves.
Before the town of San Pedrito completed their water project, Doña Lidia spent her days trekking up and down steep mountain trails to find water. Now their new water system pipes water to every home, school, and clinic—for 24/7 access to safe water, a toilet, and a shower. When Doña Lidia’s community’s project was completed […]
Dina’s story | water changes everything
Our Founder & Executive Director first met Dina in 1996 in the small mountainside community of Los Sorrianos in western Honduras. As a bright and vivacious four year-old, Dina spent her days collecting water with her mother. The following year, with the support of our local partner, COCEPRADIL, the Los Sorrianos water project was completed. […]
Let’s Build Toilets People Will Use
Dezenove de Outubre, Mozambique is located in the Cabo Delgado region, on the side of a paved road to Tanzania, where several long-distance buses make pit stops each day. During a 2017 visit, one community member told me that he is ashamed when the buses stop, as it allows outsiders to see how they live. […]
People Without Clean Water Need Smart Investments
In remote and impoverished communities around the world, I’ve heard new water systems described as a dream come true, winning the lottery, and God touching the Earth. There is no under-estimating the significance of the end to the all-consuming daily walk for water. Over 2 billion people still lack access to water that is safe […]
Project Community Update | the impact of COVID-19
The leadership of our partners during this unprecedented pandemic has proven nothing short of extraordinary. The effective and unified actions of our in-country partners are protecting our project regions and saving lives. They are demonstrating the multitude of ways in which trusted leaders can mobilize and protect a community through effective messaging—this influence doesn’t happen […]
Update from Bangladesh | Be inspired
The urban slum communities we support in Bangladesh consist of hard-working rickshaw drivers, domestic workers, and other low-wage earners. They survive one day at a time, without personal savings or a safety net. When their work is disrupted by a pandemic, their families are instantly impacted and at great risk. Our partner organization, DSK, is […]
In the Nick of Time | water flows in Dima Jeliwan
In early March, about the same time the first case of coronavirus was detected in Ethiopia, Astedu turned on the tap in her side yard and clean water flowed for the first time. Now Astedu and her family are armed with the number one defense against pathogens of all kinds, clean water. All Water1st projects are designed […]
Dima Jeliwan, Ethiopia Update
An update from our Dima Jeliwan, Ethiopia project. Asinakech is over 60 years old. She is more vulnerable to coronavirus. On one of the first days that Ethiopia reported detecting the presence of the virus in the country, the Dima Jeliwan project started pumping water to the first households to connect to the system, including […]
Honduras COVID-19 Update
Our Honduras partner, COCEPRADIL, has produced this video for social media, targeting young people who may be out in public and spreading the virus to their family members, espcially elderly parents and grandparents. 75 year old Don Raúl Cantarero of Candelaria, Honduras says this: “I am an old man, I am 75 years old. I […]