Poul Due Jensen said: ‘The world is full of problems that can be solved in better ways.’ This phrase is still highly relevant. Experience over the years has shown that you cannot just stick a pump in the ground and expect things to run smoothly from there. That’s why we pursue a more holistic approach to our water projects.
Until now, we have not found one solution that fits all, and we probably never will. But we are blessed with skilled and dedicated partners who openly share their experiences, challenges and best practices in implementing water projects.
In the future, we will allocate more resources to learn, document and communicate our findings, and we will focus on job-creation in and around the Foundation’s water projects.
How we fund water and sustainable development
| What? | The Foundation supports sustainable and economically viable water projects in poor village communities and forgotten refugee camps. Furthermore, the Foundation supports initiatives around water that promote the development of sustainable local communities and puts water issues at the top of the agenda, both in Denmark and globally.
Projects are followed for several years after implementation to give us knowledge about how the projects affect the local community, what works and what we can improve. |
| How? | The Foundation works through selected professional NGOs who, with their competencies and insights, can ensure a long-term effort that improves people’s health and life opportunities.
The partners’ professionalism is key to maximizing the effect we want to achieve in our water projects. Partnership is therefore a core value for the Foundation and the best way to ensure mutual development and learning. |
| Who? | The Foundation primarily helps the world’s poorest i.e. in rural areas in the global south, where 80% of those who do not currently have access to clean water live. In addition, there are people in forgotten refugee camps who often do not have access to a secure supply of drinking water. |
| Why? | We believe that access to clean water is a basic human right and a necessity for the healthy development of society. Clean water means better health, decreases expenses for health services, which can kickstart economic development for each individual and for society.
By ensuring environmentally, socially and economically sustainable drinking water solutions, we can give the world’s poorest a better opportunity to improve their own and their families’ living conditions in the future. |
Disaster relief
Furthermore, the Foundation keeps a reserve for emergency water supplies related to disaster relief.
Safe water tap station in Haiti after the earhtquake in August 2021. Photo: Water Mission