1 in 3 People Do Not Have Access to Safe Drinking Water.

Water is the source of life. But for hundreds of millions of people, it is a daily struggle, a dangerous journey, and a threat to their survival.

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The Global Landscape

2.2 Billion

Global Population

People currently lack access to safely managed drinking water services worldwide.

1 in 5

Child Mortality

Deaths of children under five are caused by water-related diseases that are entirely preventable.

200 Million

Hours Daily

Are spent by women and girls collecting water, stealing time from education and work.

A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight

Over 700 million people drink, wash, and cook with dirty water. That is roughly the entire population of Europe.
Behind that number are mothers who boil muddy water and pray it will not make their children sick. Girls who walk for hours each day instead of going to school. Communities that cannot grow crops because there is no water to irrigate the land.


At NRF, we have seen children spend entire days collecting dirty water full of disease, bacteria, and contamination. We have seen the toll it takes on their health, their education, and their futures.

Water Scarcity

40% of the global population lives with acute water stress.

Healthcare Vacuum

Surgical access remains a luxury in over 60 developing nations.

The Impact

Dirty Water Is Deadlier Than War

Diseases linked to dirty water kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. 43% of those deaths are children under five. Access to clean water and basic sanitation can save around 16,000 lives every week.

Water Steals Childhood

Millions of children miss school because they walk for hours collecting water. Girls are disproportionately affected, bearing the greatest burden and falling the furthest behind. When a well is built in a village, children go to school. Girls stay in the classroom. Futures are built instead of lost.

Water Breaks the Cycle of Poverty

In Africa alone, women spend a combined 40 billion hours per year walking for water. Time that could be spent earning a living, growing food, or caring for a family. Clean water is the foundation of independence. When a community has reliable water, crops can grow, livestock can be maintained, businesses can operate, and communities can build their own futures.

What Clean Water Changes

Healthier Lives

Waterborne diseases prevented at the source. Children survive. Families stay healthy.

Education Restored

Children attend school. Girls stay in the classroom. Futures are built instead of lost.

Economic Independence

Communities grow food, raise livestock, and build livelihoods. Dependence gives way to self-sufficiency.

What NRF Is Doing About It

In East Africa, we build shallow wells and deep boreholes providing clean water to entire communities for decades. In Pakistan, we install handpumps giving individual families a dedicated, year-round source of clean water. In Yemen, we install and regularly refill water tanks in orphanages and impoverished urban areas. 

Every well we build, every handpump we install, and every tank we fill is a step towards a future where no one has to risk their life for a glass of water.

80%

Increase in agricultural yield for smallholder farmers.

150%

Rise in school attendance for adolescent girls.

How We Build a Water Well:
From Your Donation to a Community Transformed

Step 1. Pre-Construction

We select the optimal site, considering water table depth, contamination risks, and accessibility. All permits are obtained and the well is designed to meet local needs.

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2

Step 2. Well Construction

Professional drilling teams dig the well. A casing is installed to prevent contamination and collapse. The pump, solar panel, piping, tank, and taps are installed.

Step 3. Water Testing and Completion

Water is tested for harmful contaminants. Flow rate testing confirms the well meets community demand. Protective structures are installed and the well is handed over to the community.

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Step 4. Reporting and Maintenance

You receive a comprehensive report including construction details, water quality results, flow rate measurements, and a financial summary. The community is trained to maintain the well independently.

Typical project duration: 18 to 24 months from donor confirmation to completion.

Our Water Programmes

Clean water is the catalyst for structural change. We measure progress across four primary human dignity indicators.

Handpump
£100

Turnaround: 3 to 6 months

Installing a water handpump that provides clean water for one family in Pakistan, year-round.

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Donate a Water Handpump

Water Well
£2,000

Turnaround: 12 to 18 months

One child. All essentials covered. Personally matched with regular updates.

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Donate a Water Handpump

Deep Well
£15,000

Co-Sponsorship

Share the blessing. Join another donor to support one child's needs.

Find out more
Donate a Water Handpump

Join The Stream
From £5/mo

Co-Sponsorship

Share the blessing. Join another donor to support one child's needs.

Find out more
Donate a Water Handpump

Water Charity
Any

Co-Sponsorship

Share the blessing. Join another donor to support one child's needs.

Find out more
Donate a Water Handpump

12

East Africa

08

East Africa

14

Central Asia

06

Latin America

250

Water Wells Built

300

Handpumps Installed

1,500+

Communities Served

4

Countries Reached

Every Drop Counts. Every Well Transforms a Community.

For £100, you can give a family in Pakistan clean water for years. For £2,000, you can provide an entire village in East Africa with a water well. For just £5 a month, you can join The Stream.
The numbers are small. The impact is life-changing.

Donate a Water Well
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