MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2024 global water and health achievements 

Thanks to the support of our donor partners, the work of our amazing staff, and God's favor, in fiscal year 2024, World Vision reached 3.1 million people with access to clean water (102% of the annual target). This brings the total to 6.2 million people in the first two years of our eight-year commitment to reach 30 million people with clean water access by 2030.  

We also reached 2.4 million people with improved sanitation (98% of target) and 2.9 million people with handwashing facilities (91% of target).

In response to humanitarian needs caused by disasters including conflict and flooding, we  provided more than 600,000 people with emergency water and more than half a million people with emergency hygiene supplies. This number includes people impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, both those displaced within the country as well as those displaced to South Sudan and Chad. 

A top priority and commitment of our work is to empower women and girls to experience the healthy, productive lives God intends for them. To that end, we reached 1.6 million women and girls with clean water access, equipped 4,744 women to become active in water, sanitation, and hygiene related businesses, and trained 9,637 women on advocacy to help ensure the sustainability of water points.

Zambia

Following the success of our water work in Rwanda, we are now pursuing our "finish the job" plan in Zambia, where we aim by 2026 to reach 1 million people with clean water access in the 29 areas where we work. We have now reached 764,246 people with clean water access, including 167,635 people this fiscal year, and a total of 317 schools, including 79 this year. 

As part of our commitment to upgrade every healthcare facility everywhere we work in Zambia, we have upgraded a total of 147 health clinics, including 41 this year. Thanks to your faithful partnership and God’s grace, just nine clinics remain to be upgraded!

This fiscal year, we completed the funding needed to finish the job for both water and health clinics through donor contributions and long-term commitments and look forward to celebrating finishing the job in 2026.

Honduras

We are also making progress on our finish-the-job plans in Honduras, where we aim to reach 650,000 people in 49 municipalities with clean water access by 2028. In fiscal year 2024 we reached 155,368 people, bringing our three-year total to 223,469 people. We have contributions and long-term commitments for $33.3 million of the $60 million needed from U.S. donors to reach this goal in Honduras.  

World Vision works to increase the quality of water supply services in the communities we come alongside. Consistent with this goal, only 2% of water points in those communities were hand pumps, while 15% were community taps and 82% were household water connections.

Other fiscal year accomplishments include:

• 5,589 water committees established and trained to support operating and maintaining water systems (145% of target)
• 10,370 faith leaders trained on hygiene and sanitation behaviors to help influence their communities (162% of target)
• 1,181schools reached with clean water access and 2,323 with handwashing stations
• 387 health centers upgraded with clean water and 840 with handwashing facilities

The work in healthcare facilities means we are on track with our commitment to upgrade 3,000 healthcare facilities by 2030 having upgraded 831 facilities in the first two years of our eight-year commitment. Thank you for showing God's love through your partnership to equip vulnerable children and families for fuller and healthier lives.

New match opportunity: Double impact

In our last newsletter, we shared a new opportunity to help fund the training of community health workers. An investment of $25,000 enables us to train and equip 10 community health workers — each serving up to 5,000 people throughout their communities — to diagnose and treat diseases including malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, and malnutrition. We honor these investments by providing donors with a report including the GPS coordinates of a specific health clinic where community health workers have been trained and equipped, as well as photos. A generous donor couple has agreed to match donor investments 1 to 1 through this offer, of $25,000 or more  up to $1 million each calendar year for the next three years. 

Interview on Green Hour podcast

During the Concordia Annual Summit in New York City in September, I joined a podcast to share a comprehensive overview of World Vision’s water and health work. 

You are about to leave our newsletter. While we hope you enjoy the video recording, we are not responsible for the content or policies of the Green Hour podcast or the streaming platform. Be sure to check out their site terms if you have any concerns.

World Water Day 2025

Mark your calendar for the second annual World Water Day all-day livestream event on Friday, March 21, 2025. I’ll be co-hosting again with Team World Vision's Lyndsey Deane Ratchford, and we’ve got an amazing line up of participants including members of the National Leadership Council and Team World Vision, World Vision experts, and more. It’s going to be an inspiring and exciting day! Check out this invitation.

Prayer requests and praise

Pray that through the dedication of World Vision staff to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus, millions of people will know the love of Christ during this Christmas season. 

Pray that our shared efforts to improve access to clean water and health will lead to more lives being saved and transformed, and that more children will be empowered to reach their God-given potential.

Give thanks that as a result of our donor partners' generosity, World Vision has reached 31.6 million people with clean water access between 2016 and 2024.