Water is Basic

This June, we're celebrating the recurring donors who carry this mission forward — and we're starting with Andy and Jenny.

Andy and Jenny have been giving to Water is Basic since 2007. Almost twenty years of showing up, month after month.

"My wife and I have supported Water is Basic for 20 years now. It's a lean organization that's 100% focused on providing clean water in South Sudan... Their work makes a huge difference to many, many people, and I'm proud to be a small part of their mission." -Andy

Thank you, Andy and Jenny! Your heart and constancy are worth celebrating. 💧💛

Water is Basic started through church fundraisers, lemonade stands, and fun runs. People showing up because they believe clean water matters.

That heart is still what carries this mission forward, through the recurring donors who show up month after month. Not just for their support, but for their commitment. For showing up again and again.

This June, we're taking time to celebrate them. Over the next few weeks, we'll be highlighting some of the incredible people who make this mission possible.
We are so grateful. 💧

Over the next 12 months, we're doing something different — pulling back the curtain on the operational side of our work. How our local cooperatives function, how we distribute parts, and exactly why water matters so much.

We're starting where it all begins. Because before you can understand the solution, you have to understand what life looks like without it.

Before the solution comes the reality. Swipe through. 💧

Meet Monica Abeny Marial — pump mechanic, community leader, and member of the Women's Well Repair Initiative in Yirol East County, Lakes, South Sudan. 💛

She repairs wells. She runs a business. She's a mother of eight.

Before joining WESI, Monica ran small businesses to keep her kids in school. Now she's channeling that same determination into something bigger: making sure her community never runs out of clean water.

This is a well she repaired in Yirol, Lakes, South Sudan.

She said, "I am deeply committed to addressing the water crisis in our community, and I believe I will contribute significantly to providing safe and clean drinking water."

This week, our team repaired a well in Wau, West Bahr al Ghazal, South Sudan — and James, a community member and father of six, shared what it meant to his family and neighbors.

"Before the borehole was repaired, life was very difficult for us. The entire community depended on a neighbour's well, and it was always a struggle to get enough water for our families. Today, I am very happy because the borehole has been repaired. Your support has brought great relief to our community. It will now be easy for all of us to get clean water from a nearby place, and this has removed a heavy burden from our daily lives. There is nothing greater than the happiness we feel today."
— James, community member and father of six

This is what locally-led solutions look like in action. Every repair logged, every well tracked, every community counted.

Data published in real time at waterisbasic.org

Big news — Water is Basic now accepts dozens of the world's top cryptocurrencies through The Giving Block

Every dollar (and every coin) goes toward ensuring every person in South Sudan has reliable access to clean water by 2030 — maintained not by outside aid, but by the people themselves.

We aren't building a nonprofit — we're eliminating the need for one. Want to be part of finishing it? Donate at waterisbasic.org.

A big thank you to Community Church of Davie ministry outreach for their Wild West event — where they saddled up, showed up, and raised already over $2,200 for clean water in South Sudan. 🤠💧

No amount raised is too little. No amount of effort goes unnoticed. We are so grateful that Lisa Primavera and the whole team made this part of their mission.

This Mother's Day, honor the mom, grandma, or mother figure who means everything to you — by giving the gift of clean water to a mother in South Sudan. 💙
We believe women are the solution. In South Sudan, women and girls carry the weight of the water crisis every single day. When a well breaks down, it's mothers who walk miles to find water. When a well is fixed, those hours are returned to care for their families, grow their businesses, and lead their communities forward.
Here's how to give a gift that truly matters:
->Donate at waterisbasic.org
->Click "Dedicate this Donation."
->Add the name and email of the person you'd like to honor — they'll receive a special e-card with your personal message

Because clean water doesn't just change daily life. It gives mothers back the time they never should have lost.

Meet Sarah Aguot Deng!

She didn't grow up thinking she'd run a business, but today, at just 29 years old, she's one of only two trained women pump mechanics in her community in Baach, Aweil East County, South Sudan.

Before joining WESI, Sarah ran a small retail business and was active in a local savings group. Now she can dismantle and reassemble a handpump, diagnose failing parts, manage repair finances, and keep records.

"With all the knowledge, skills, and benefits I have gained from WESI, I am grateful for this crucial opportunity to learn these skills so that I can serve my community."

Sarah is a mother of two, an entrepreneur, a technician, and a community leader. Every well she fixes means clean water flowing again for families who had none.