19 Years Ago, We Started a Revolution. Let’s Finish It—Together.
May 9, 2025
“Why would we build anything—if our people are dying of dirty water?”
Nineteen years ago, in a hot, dusty meeting room in war-torn Sudan, I heard the words of an old man that changed everything:
“Why would we build anything—if our people are dying of dirty water?”
That question sparked Water is Basic. And from that day forward, we’ve been rewriting what’s possible.
Together, over the past 19 years:
We launched local teams who drilled and repaired thousands of wells across South Sudan.
Delivered clean water and hope to over 1.5 million people.
Pooled our $10 million resources to start a movement we were told was impossible.
Then, in 2020, we launched the Women’s Well Repair Initiative, handing tools to the women who had walked miles for water—and training them to lead the solution.
Today, 45 women-led repair teams run businesses, fix wells in days rather than years, and prove that sustainability starts with local ownership.
And now, we’re ready to finish the work. Not to keep it going. But to let it go—into their hands, permanently.
Introducing Vision 2030: Our Final Chapter, Their Future
Over the next five years, here’s what we’re doing:
Expand from 2 states to all 10 South Sudan—launching 256 women-led well repair businesses.
Restore 18,000 wells, bringing water to millions more.
Form regional cooperatives, where repair teams share tools, training, finances, and strategy.
Build self-sustaining infrastructure so that by 2030, outside support will no longer be required.
This is not a theory. It’s not a hope. It’s a blueprint already under construction.
Why We Need You—Now More Than Ever
The next five years are critical. They’re about leaving behind infrastructure, leadership, and hope that lasts.
It took 19 years and $10 million to build a foundation of relationships, impact, and faithfulness—now we need $10 million more to finish the job and declare the mission accomplished.
Increasing your giving by 10% annually through 2030 will help bring our shared vision to life—clean water for all, sustained by local hands.
If you’re new to the journey, will you join us now?
This is your chance to help a nation stand on its own, to help the women of South Sudan take full ownership of their future, and to ensure that clean water never again depends on charity but on local strength, community, and dignity.
Let’s finish what we started, and in 2030, let’s shake hands and say together,
