CLEAN DRINKING WATER WITH EVIDENCE ACTION

Water is life. Why? 

We need drinking water not only to survive. Clean drinking water is also a basic requirement for a good health. In contrast, contaminated drinking water can be deadly, especially for children under the age of 5. Even today, 2 billion people still live without access to clean drinking water and therefore have to resort to contaminated water sources. This results in diarrheal diseases and the transmission of other diseases such as Hepatitis A, cholera and a multitude of bacteria, which claim 1 million lives every year - many preventable through the access to clean drinking water. This is also one of the reasons why Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals refers specifically to clean water and sanitation.

Evidence (BASED) action.

Our partners at Evidence Action base their work on data and facts. They focus on the most urgent needs and the greatest levers for fighting global poverty. Each solution achieves above-average impact measured against standards and is easily scalable. To ensure clean drinking water as part of their Clean Water initiatives, Evidence Action relies on chlorination - directly in water systems or through chlorine dispensers at water collection points. By working closely with local communities, Evidence Action can ensure that their measures are designed for the long term. Through a continuous improvement of their own processes, Evidence Action can provide one person with clean drinking water for a year in Africa and Asia for as little as $1.50.

Our cooperation and goals

In 2023, we completely rethought our donation strategy. After discussions with donation consultants and after evaluating projects in terms of their importance, measurable impact and future potential, we finally decided to support Evidence Action's Clean Water Initiatives, to which we want to contribute on a longer-term basis. We have set ourselves the following goals for our collaboration by the end of 2025:

Donate 120.000 € to Evidence Action in the set time frame
Ensure 90,000 people have access to clean drinking water for one year
Implies that the lives of more than 40 children under the age of 5 can be saved*
Implies that over 1,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) can be averted*

*Projections are based on historical data (Evidence Action’s cost-effectiveness estimates for 2022) and are thus imprecise.

Why the fashion industry is also involved and why donations alone are not enough. 

Thousands of liters of water are potentially used for the production of particular textiles, which are lacking elsewhere to supply people with water. In addition, it has been proven that harmful chemicals can be found in the groundwater in some regions of textile-producing countries - so the fashion industry is also part of the problem. Donations are therefore no excuse to avoid the bigger problems. In our next Impact Report, we will take a closer look at what we are already doing in the area of water and chemical management and which projects we will initiate in the future.