The One Drop Foundation supports initiatives to ensure sustainable access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation and hygiene for communities facing extreme barriers, through innovative partnerships, creativity and the power of art, while contributing to climate action.

The One Drop Foundation has developed a WASH systems approach called the A.B.C for Sustainability: the A component works to improve access to safely managed WASH services, the B component to encourage the adoption of healthy behaviours by individuals and communities, and the C component encouraging capital supporting market-based solutions.

We focus on supporting access to improved WASH services because we acknowledge that the existing or lack thereof adequate infrastructures, services, and management capacities are not meeting the basic needs of people in households, schools, health centres and other key settings in terms of quality, coverage, affordability, and reliability. This translates into construction or rehabilitation of WASH infrastructure, whether these are latrines (blocks of latrines), hand washing stations, MHM facilities, sewage systems, water canalisations etc.

We facilitate the practice of key behaviours through social art interventions over time, because we acknowledge that addressing WASH related behaviours requires co-creating multi-sensory and participatory experiences at individual and collective levels, revisit social norms, raise awareness, cultivate a sense of commitment, and drive (concerted) action. The WASH behaviours namely cover hand washing with soap and water; safe transportation and storage and treatment of water; payment of water tariff; and the construction and systemic use of latrine, etc.

We strive to strengthen local economies because we acknowledge that the demand and offer for WASH related products and services are not met due to knowledge, capacities, and resource gaps. Activities related to the C component can be bridge financing loans where subsidies are available; community loans to support co-financing of WASH infrastructure; and technical support and financial capacity building activities for female and youth entrepreneurs, to support revenue generating activities.

The projects we finance improve WASH settings in households, heath care facilities, in schools and communities, namely construction of sewage systems, handwashing stations, latrines, toilets, water connections. See our Impact Report here: https://impact2022.onedrop.org/en#approach

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Capacity developmentRenewable energies and climate changeRural areasCommunity sanitationEmergency and reconstructionPublic awareness, advocacy and civil society engagement Operation, maintenance and sustainable servicesBehaviour changeHealth and hygieneGenderOther

Countries of Activity

Burkina FasoCanadaColombiaEl SalvadorGuatemalaHaitiHondurasIndiaMadagascarMaliMexicoNicaraguaParaguay