ONE DROP and Water For People join forces to develop sustainable programming to end water and sanitation poverty

Collaboration will impact more than 650,000 people in India's Sheohar district

NEW YORK CITY, Feb. 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Today ONE DROP and Water For People announced a strategic partnership to help solve one of the most pressing and urgent social and economic challenges humanity faces - the eradication of water and sanitation poverty. Two large players in the water and sanitation sector are collaborating beyond the scope of individual programming to ensure sustainability and increase the scale and impact of their work.

"We share the belief that sustainability and economic empowerment are the foundation of international development," said Catherine B. Bachand, ONE DROP's Chief Executive Officer. "This partnership will demonstrate ways the water sector can collaborate to increase the return on investment of funding, and ultimately, achieve the mutual goal of delivering sustainable solutions at scale."

"We are excited to pool our talents and resources in the interest of vulnerable communities, families, and children specifically in the Sheohar district of India," said Ned Breslin, Chief Executive Officer of Water For People. "This partnership has the potential to shift how philanthropy and international aid is approached to permanently resolve the water and sanitation crisis in the developing world."

The partnership, which will impact more than 650,000 people by 2018, leverages ONE DROP and Water For People's core organizational strengths. The investment over the five-year period is estimated at $10.8 million, with Water For People contributing $5.8 million and ONE DROP contributing $5 million. This investment builds on the considerable investments Water For People has already made in the district of Sheohar.

ONE DROP brings its expertise in ensuring the sustainability of its water, sanitation, and hygiene programs by combining access to water, access to microcredit and impact on behavior change through social arts.

Water For People brings its proven experience in working with governments and communities to provide sustainable access to drinking water, market-based solutions for access to household sanitation, comprehensive school programming on hygiene education, and institutional capacity building in order to achieve full (district-wide) water coverage in every household, school, and clinic.

Despite decades of development activity by nonprofits and governments, between 780 million to 1.2 billion people in the world do not have sustainable access to safe drinking water.

Water for People and ONE DROP have been active in developing sustainable water and sanitation access programs in India since, respectively, 1996 and 2011.

Through its "Everyone Forever" model, Water For People provides every household, school and clinic in the districts where they work with sustainable access to water and sanitation. By developing partnerships with local governments, the local private sector and the community Water For People promote capacity building and water system governance at a local level with the end goal of empowering the communities to achieve independence from foreign aid.

ONE DROP works towards sustainable change through its unique ABC approach—by focusing on  A - access to safe water for consumption and agriculture, B- behavior change through locally-inspired social arts initiatives to address the cultural challenges of water, sanitation and hygiene and C-capital and skills training to improve the economic well-being of communities.

About ONE DROP
ONE DROP—a non-profit organization created in 2007 by Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberté—strives to ensure that water is accessible to all, today and forever. ONE DROP significantly and sustainably improves living conditions through innovative projects which promote self-reliance in communities worldwide. To learn more, visit www.ONEDROP.org.

About Water For People
Water For People is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access to improved water and sanitation systems and services in developing countries. By working with local governments, the private sector, and partners, Water For People ensures that everyone in a specific region has these basic needs met forever. This innovative approach reaches every family, every school, and every clinic, catalyzing transformative change for better health and economic development to occur. Learn more at www.waterforpeople.org.

SOURCE One Drop