Clean Water for All

NEW YORK, NY (September 30, 2015) — One of the Sustainable Development Goals finalized at the recent United Nations General Assembly was universal access to safe water by the year 2030.

At a New York event last night, World Vision announced a commitment to help reach that goal through a massive expansion of its clean water program, along with a significant private donation to help realize the goal.

At the event, philanthropists Dana and Dave Dornsife announced their intentions to provide $40 million over five years to support World Vision water, sanitation and hygiene programs (WASH) in Africa.

This follows their previous gift of $35 million to World Vision, which enabled World Vision to develop high-quality WASH programs in 10 African countries.

World Vision also announced a commitment to provide clean water to one new person every 10 seconds by the year 2020. It will continue the expansion to ensure universal water coverage everywhere World Vision works by 2030.

World Vision already is the largest nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world, reaching one new person with clean water every 30 seconds. It has a presence in nearly 100 countries around the world.

“Poverty and disease are like a choke hold on millions of families around the world,” said Richard Stearns, president of World Vision US. “There is nothing more powerful than clean water to set children and families free. Through their generous and life-saving gift, the Dornsifes will help bring fullness of life and good health to millions.”

Ensuring every person has access to clean water is an aggressive goal and must be done in partnership. Partners joining World Vision to mark the commitment and the gift represented the education, philanthropy, corporate, nonprofit and academic communities.

Thanks to its many partners, World Vision has increased tenfold the number of new people it reaches annually with clean water in the last five years.

Philanthropists Dana and Dave Dornsife also are committed to helping solve the global water crisis and have faithfully walked alongside World Vision since 1981 to provide life-giving clean water. The Dornsifes are now one of the top families contributing to address the global water and sanitation crisis. As with their previous gift, it will require World Vision to demonstrate matching funding.

“Dave and I are thrilled with the leadership shown by World Vision and their partners in committing to provide clean water and sanitation to everyone everywhere they work by 2030,” said Dana Dornsife. “We believe this gift is one of the most important investments we can make and we hope it inspires others to join with us so we can solve the global water crisis in parts of Africa in our lifetimes.”

The Dornsife’s announcement comes during the last week of World Vision’s For Every Child campaign, a five-year, $500 million campaign to save the lives of 20 million people worldwide.

World Vision’s WASH partners represented at this week’s announcement includes USAID, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Procter & Gamble, Sesame Workshop, Grundfos, Kohler, Denver Mattress, University of North Carolina Water Institute, Messiah College, Drexel University, Desert Research Institute, Design Outreach, Speranza Foundation, Water Now, Well Spring for the World, United Solar Initiative and Water4.

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About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.

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