Bangladesh

In an increasingly urbanizing world, Water1st’s most significant discovery has been our partner in Bangladesh, Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK). DSK has pioneered a highly-effective means of providing water, toilets, and hygiene education to an urban slum environment.

We began funding DSK in two slum areas in Dhaka in 2006. Since then, they have demonstrated the ability to scale up and spread out. With increased Water1st funding, DSK now implements hundreds of projects a year in Bangladesh’s three largest cities of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Khulna.

The incorporation of micro-lending into the DSK operation model has proven highly effective. Water systems and toilets are not given away. Users must repay the full construction cost to DSK within 1-2 years. Repayment rates have exceeded 96%. These repaid loans are then used to fund more projects. Currently, 49% of our annual budget for Bangladesh comes from repaid loans, leveraging even greater impact.

ABOUT BANGLADESH*

Population: 164,700,000
% living on less than $1.90/day: 15%
Partner: Dushtha Shasthya Kendra

COMPLETED PROJECTS

4,366 projects
199,276 people with clean water and toilets

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

100 loan-based projects serving 4,000 people

*Source: World Bank and UNICEF

Program Highlights

The Character of DSK Shines Bright
The urban slum communities we support in Bangladesh consist of hard-working rickshaw drivers, domestic & textile 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 second-to-none when it comes to the technical aspects of our systems, and is also deeply committed to the health, economic security, and dignity of the people they serve. DSK is working tirelessly to mobilize urban slum communities to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19. They are going door-to-door to educate residents on transmission pathways of disease and hygiene practices people can use to protect themselves, including frequent handwashing, wearing masks, and sanitizing home environments.

Slum residents have no legal access to public water supply or sewer systems

Water1st works in urban slums in Bangladesh’s three largest cities—the capital, Dhaka (population 18 million), Chattogram, (4 million), and Khulna (1 million). They have no legal access to public water supply or sewer systems. Adding to the crisis is the rapid increase in urban slum populations in Bangladesh: 150,000-400,000 new residents arrive each year from rural areas seeking a better life for their families.

In these squatter settlements, renters are forced to buy water of unknown quality at very expensive rates. There are no sewer pipes in these neighborhoods, so waste from ‘open’ toilets flows right through the community, making living conditions extremely unhygienic, and sanitary toilets a high priority.

Bangladesh train tracks
Piped Water
Water1st encourages the adoption of piped water networks, which provide the best results at the lowest long-term cost. In our piped network systems, water is pumped to an elevated storage tank. From the storage tank, water flows to one or more locations in the slum settlement, providing ample water to residents for drinking, cooking, bathing, and laundry.
High-quality toilets
DSK incorporates high-quality toilets that are easily distinguishable from most other toilets built by NGOs around the world. They use a porcelain pan for easy cleaning and a water seal that makes them odorless. Water faucets are placed in the stalls for flushing, cleaning, and hand washing.
Hygiene education
A comprehensive hygiene education program addresses the community’s most challenging health issues. Various trainings are targeted to those who care for young children, to adolescent girls entering puberty, and to special groups like food and tea vendors. These trainings result in dramatic changes in hygiene behavior and significant gains in health indicators.

Sustainable Programmatic Strategy

Community organizing
Our local partner, DSK, takes a participatory approach to project implementation. The process starts with a community mapping exercise to identify local housing, shops, roads, mosques, and of course, water sources and toilets. Communities vote on their highest-priority issues and then create an action plan to solve them. Water supply is commonly identified as the most critical need; not surprising when slum communities report spending up to 40% of their annual income treating water-related illnesses.
REVOLVING LOANS
Users of the water systems and toilets are required to pay 100% of the construction costs via a long-term, low-interest loan. The loan approach insures water systems and toilets are built for those who really want and need them. With repayment rates exceeding 96%, we have nearly doubled our reach and rate of project completion.
Water is the catalyst
Once neighborhoods have organized themselves to solve their water and sanitation problems, they are prepared to tackle other high-priority issues, such as trash collection, roads, and improved drainage. Water committees have organized household garbage collection for a small monthly fee. Each day, a paid garbage crew collects waste and transports it to a government-approved dump site.
Independent rating
Received an independent evidence-based evaluation from the Water for Life Rating System and scoring “Recommended for Future Funding.”
cocepradil rating final2
Take a virtual tour of a typical project:

Stories from the field

Choose a donation amount


$ 0.00


Wine sales tax and shipping fees

Sales tax: Sales tax is based on your address. We’ll send you a receipt that includes your sales tax and shipping fee (if applicable).

Approximate shipping costs:
Complimentary Seattle-area deliveries for all purchases.

Fall 2022 promotion – Free shipping of orders of 12 bottles (1 case) or more. You may order as many cases as you want.

Please note approximate shipping costs vary depending on destination. Due to shipping fees that are beyond our control, our suggested minimum order is 3 bottles:
1-3 bottles $24-28
6 bottles $27-37
12 bottles $37-57
*If shipping to Alaska and Hawaii, please call the winery for a quote at (509) 875-2211

Shipping available to the following 35 states + Washington DC: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Water from Wine is a very small winery and unable to benefit from competitive shipping rates that larger wineries enjoy. Wine is shipped via UPS, which adds additional fees for shipping alcohol because an adult over 21 must sign for delivery. Water from Wine does not profit from shipping costs. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Wine sales tax and shipping fees

Sales tax: Sales tax is based on your address. We’ll send you a receipt that includes your sales tax and shipping fee (if applicable).

Approximate shipping costs:
Fall 2021 promotion – Free shipping of orders of 12 bottles (1 case). You may order as many cases as you want. Free shipping promotion is limited to 2 cases/person/month.

Please note approximate shipping costs vary depending on destination. Due to shipping fees that are beyond our control, our suggested minimum order is 3 bottles:
1-3 bottles $24-28
6 bottles $27-37
12 bottles $37-57
*If shipping to Alaska and Hawaii, please call the winery for a quote at (509) 875-2211

Shipping available to the following 36 states + Washington DC: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington DC, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Water from Wine is a very small winery and unable to benefit from competitive shipping rates that larger wineries enjoy. Wine is shipped via UPS, which adds additional fees for shipping alcohol because an adult over 21 must sign for delivery. Water from Wine does not profit from shipping costs. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns..