Simavi joins WaterAid: together for clean water, decent toilets and hygiene – for everyone

Story: Amsterdam

From March 22 – World Water Day – onwards Simavi will be part of WaterAid, a global not-for-profit working on clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene for everyone, everywhere. This means that Simavi will continue as WaterAid Netherlands. For Simavi this is an important step to make even more impact. But what exactly is WaterAid? What does the organisation do? And what does this mean for Simavi’s work? We’re happy to explain.

Women fetching water in Satkhira, Bangladesh. Photo: Oscar Seijkens

What is WaterAid?

WaterAid is a global not-for-profit working toward one clear goal: a world where everyone has access to clean drinking water, decent toilets and good hygiene. WaterAid was founded in the United Kingdom in 1981 and is active in 22 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

WaterAid is a federation that includes WaterAid UK, WaterAid India, WaterAid Australia, WaterAid Sweden, WaterAid Japan, WaterAid Canada and WaterAid USA. Simavi will soon be joining them as WaterAid Netherlands.

All members share the same mission, values and ways of working – enabling them to achieve greater impact together.

What does WaterAid do?

WaterAid supports communities with sustainable solutions for water, sanitation and hygiene. This includes installing water pumps, building safe toilets in schools and healthcare facilities, and running awareness campaigns on handwashing. But WaterAid does more than just build facilities. WaterAid also works with governments to improve policies and ensure that WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) becomes a political and financial priority. WaterAid advocates for the human rights to water and sanitation, especially for people who are often left behind.

Nampaso Mekure at a water kiosk supported by Simavi's Water Justice Fund. Photo: Jeroen van Loon

What is WaterAid’s vision?

WaterAid believes that lasting change is only possible if we strengthen the entire system around water and sanitation. This means investing in people, policies, behaviours, resources, regulations and institutions. Only then can we ensure sustainable access to WASH – including for the communities that currently have none.

Change begins in communities but must be supported by strong national and international systems. Governments play a key role. They don’t have to everything themselves, but they do have a responsibility to make access possible – by allocating budgets, building infrastructure, setting regulations and ensuring that even the most marginalised groups are included. Because clean water and decent toilets should never be a privilege. They are human rights.

Why is Simavi joining WaterAid?

The global water crisis is getting worse year after year due to climate change, and women and girls in Africa and Asia feel this impact the hardest. They are often the ones who must collect water every day – a task that is time-consuming, physically demanding, and sometimes dangerous.

As a development organisation, Simavi has long stood with these women in their fight for the right to water. But this crisis is too big for any single organisation to tackle alone. That’s why we are joining the WaterAid federation.

As WaterAid Netherlands, we will build on Simavi’s strong foundation: over 100 years of experience in water, sanitation and equal opportunities for women and girls. Our focus remains unchanged – on water, women and climate – but with the added power of a global network. Together with other WaterAid members we can make a much greater impact than ever before.

Our goal remains the same: to end the water, sanitation and hygiene crisis – together, for everyone, everywhere.

Sita Tamang washes her hands in Changunarayan, Nepal. Photo: Saskia Geling

What are WaterAid’s priorities?

WaterAid has set four key strategic goals for the coming years:

Provide clean water, decent toilets and hygiene for everyone – in villages, cities, schools and health centres.
Prioritise WASH in healthcare, so that hospitals and clinics are safe and hygienic – especially for women giving birth.
Make water systems climate-resilient - ensuring continued access in drought-prone or flood-affected areas.
Increase and improve WASH funding – ensuring that money reaches the people who need it most.

In everything WaterAid does, women and girls are at the centre. When they have access to clean water and safe toilets, they gain time, health and opportunities.

In which countries does WaterAid work?

WaterAid operates in 22 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America – from Nepal to Nigeria, from Colombia to Cambodia. In each country, they partner with local organisations, governments and communities to deliver sustainable, locally driven solutions. The goal is the same everywhere: making clean water, decent toilets and hygiene accessible for everyone.

Children washing their hands and fetching water at a water pump in Balli Union, Bangladesh. Photo: Oscar Seijkens

What do we want to achieve together?

The ambition is big. By 2032, WaterAid aims to reach an additional 400 million people with sustainable and safe WASH. WaterAid also wants to help mobilise $15 billion per year in additional funding for WASH in low- and middle-income countries. Because until clean water is a guaranteed right for everyone, the work is far from over.

What’s next?

By joining WaterAid, Simavi can make an even greater impact. But our mission remains the same as ever: empowering women and girls with access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Because change starts with water.