Water is the source of life — but when not properly managed, it can breed disease, create conflict and destroy communities. Around the world, one in nine people does not have access to the clean water they need — that's nearly 800 million people.
Mercy Corps works to increase access to safe water around the world, whether it's bringing relief during droughts or rebuilding wells in remote villages. Our large-scale water infrastructure projects in Jordan and the Democratic Republic of Congo are forging new delivery routes, reducing waste, and bringing clean water directly to 1.25 million people — and counting — who are affected by conflict in those areas.
To complement our water access programs, we also improve sanitation and help people learn proper hygiene to prevent disease; work with families and farmers to implement conservation techniques; and strengthen communities against flooding.
All stories about Water
Pakistan: Filtering water in the flood zone
We've started to supply clean drinking water to tankers being run by the municipal authorities and local humanitarian organizations in Badin, home to some of the worst flooding in a crisis that has displaced 1.8 million people in Pakistan.
Somalia: Families still fleeing to Mogadishu seeking food
Our staff in Mogadishu registered 25 newly arrived households families who had walked for more than three weeks to reach Mogadishu, with the hope that they will get something to eat and live on.
Pakistan: Rains slow, but urgent needs remain
The rains have mostly stopped for the past week, and we can see some slight decrease in the level of water where we're working — but that's relative. In far too many places, the view is one of a vast lake or river, where there should be none.
Pakistan: Boy wading through floodwaters in Sindh
Mercy Corps is responding to flooding in Pakistan's Sindh Province with emergency clean water for over 4,000 displaced families.
Pakistan: Another year of flooding in Sindh
After barely getting back on their feet from the historic 2010 floods, Pakistan's monsoon season has deluged the same region again creating a health and housing crisis for over 5 million people according to the UN.
Somalia: Delivering clean water in Mogadishu
Kenya: Collecting water in West Wajir
In towns that are lucky enough to have boreholes, Mercy Corps is providing fuel subsidies so that pastoral families can water their herds and protect what livestock they have left.
Kenya: Without water in West Wajir
"Look. Over there. See them?"
Somalia: Update from Mogadishu
I just returned from Mogadishu, where we're trucking clean water to three tent camps in Mogadishu, reaching more than 13,000 people every day.
Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya: Water delivery starts in Mogadishu
Although the crisis in Africa's Horn has fallen off the front pages, the situation "continues to deteriorate," according to the latest UN report. Cholera, measles and malaria are on the rise. Food prices have shot up, livestock are withering, and water is scarce.