Water For People

The planet is sending signals. Rising seas, longer droughts, stronger storms, and unpredictable rainfall. The signals are clear. What comes next is up to us because the Earth doesn't negotiate.

This World Environment Day, we're reminded that protecting our planet starts with protecting water, one of our most vital connections to nature, health, and climate resilience. Together, we can build a more sustainable future for all, where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation services, forever.



Photo by John Gathagu

At Water For People, Environmental Stewardship is one of our core values. We address growing environmental inequities and are intentional in our partnerships and decision-making around environmental practices.

We believe climate action and the protection of water resources are essential to the long-term health of the planet and future generations. Valeria Cintora, at Water For People, shares, “It’s incredibly energizing to collaborate with colleagues on innovative ideas that help ensure Water For People is truly walking the talk.”

In 2025 alone, we reduced our emissions by 150 tons compared to the previous year, advancing our goal of cutting emissions by 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2040. Through initiatives led by our Green Team, colleagues across the organization are helping reduce plastic waste, lower emissions, make travel and events more sustainable, and embed environmental responsibility into the way we work every day.

Because at Water For People, sustainability is more than a commitment; it's an action.

Shout out to all Green Team members! Julio Cesar Martinez, Azucena Serrano, Miguel Renteria, Jasmine Thevarajoo, Anna Libey, Kelly Latham, Stacie Benis, Carla Dongo, Sugandha Chandra, Wellington Mitole, Mtisunge Mngoli, Gundelinda Sakaya, Johnny Toledo, Chris Freimund, Ruby Novello, Grace Kanweri, Lyneen Watkins, Lenin Carlos, Ravikant Kumar.

Water tells the story of climate change.

Roughly 90% of climate disasters are water‑related. Floods, droughts, and extreme heat test whether water and sanitation services are built to adapt, endure, and keep communities healthy through change.

To ensure sustainable water and sanitation services for everyone, forever, we must protect the water that sustains our planet. When we protect water, communities get a chance to thrive despite climate change.

When she was a little girl, Carmen Orellana used to walk the steep trails of her community, La Tigra, with an empty clay jar balanced on her head. The sun burned her skin as she followed her mother to fetch the water her family needed each day.

Decades later, Carmen still walks those same paths – but now she doesn’t carry water. She makes it flow. Today, as the leader of her community’s Water Committee, she keeps the taps open that bring clean water to more than 65 homes.

Today, safe, reliable water flows daily into every home in La Tigra. Gone are the weary footsteps of women carrying buckets; in their place, the steady sound of water running through pipes.

Meanwhile, reforestation and conservation efforts continue. Each season, the community gathers to care for the trees and protect the catchment area. "This isn’t a one-day project," Carmen says. "It’s a lifelong commitment."

Read Carmen's story: https://www.waterforpeople.org/women-led-water-honduras/

Seasons are shifting. Climate disasters are intensifying. Communities can't wait.

Climate change is straining water systems worldwide, and, in a deeper twist of injustice, those communities that contribute less to the climate crisis are the ones hit the hardest.

You can help support communities and the water they rely on. Become a Wavemaker today: https://www.waterforpeople.org/wavemaker/

From floods and droughts to water contamination, climate change is already reshaping communities across Uganda and beyond. But resilience is possible when communities, ecosystems, and water systems are strengthened together.

Grace Kanweri, Senior Program Officer at Water For People Uganda, shares a powerful reminder that protecting water means protecting communities. Swipe to read.

When a girl has her period at school, and there is no water or private toilet, she often makes the same choice. She stays home.

Not for one day, but repeatedly.

Across the world, menstruation is still a reason girls miss school, women miss work, and people are excluded from daily life. At least 500 million women and girls lack what they need to manage their periods safely and with dignity.

This is not because solutions do not exist, but because systems have failed to include them.

At Water For People, menstrual health is not treated as an add‑on or short‑term charity. We address it as an opportunity that is tied to water, sanitation, hygiene, gender equity, and disability inclusion.

In communities where Water For People works, girls attend school more consistently, teachers are equipped to support them, and governments recognize menstrual health as essential to the right to education, health, and dignity.

As a little girl, Carmen walked steep mountain trails carrying water home for her family. Today, she leads her community’s Water Committee, helping bring safe, reliable water to more than 65 homes in La Tigra, Honduras

Together with her neighbors, Carmen has helped strengthen local water systems, protect vital water sources through reforestation, and create a future where children can grow up with safe water close to home.

Read more about Carmen's story: https://www.waterforpeople.org/women-led-water-honduras/