International Action

What International Action does

International Action is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with founding records indicating 2005 (or 2006 in some histories), that provides clean water access to communities in Haiti. The organization operates from Washington, D.C. and maintains field operations in Haiti, including an office in Pétion-ville. Its mission centers on delivering potable water through chlorination technology and well drilling, supplemented by related health and education programs.

The organization's core technical offering is the Norweco LF-500 and LF-1500 tablet chlorinators, deployed across 68 chlorinator units serving communities, schools, and hospitals. The 2017 acquisition of the Village Drill expanded the organization's capability to construct new water sources. Additional program offerings include water tank installation, de-worming pills, vitamins, a Solar Light Project, and a Books for Schools initiative, broadening the organization's health and education footprint beyond pure water provision.

International Action's business model is donation-driven, encompassing tiered one-time giving (including a $35,000 provincial expansion tier), monthly recurring donor programs, and grants from foundations such as Child Relief International and the Mitchell Foundation. Revenue is sourced from individual donors, foundation grants, and institutional partners including the Red Cross, UNICEF, Rotary International, and the Clinton Global Initiative. The organization reports having served approximately 350,000 Haitians, equivalent to 1-in-12 Port-au-Prince residents, across 170+ water stations.

Name

International Action

Legal name

International Action

Website

https://haitiwater.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Action is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that has provided clean water access to Haitian communities since 2005 using Norweco tablet chlorinators and Village Drill wells, serving approximately 350,000 people across 170+ water stations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Water and Sanitation Services

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

WASH & Public Health (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) (BPADAIAG), International & Local Implementing NGOs (HLAJAKAD)

Keywords

• Clean water access
• Water chlorination systems
• Well drilling services
• Public health programs
• Humanitarian aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Individual donations through website, monthly giving programs, and one-time contributions. Donors receive quarterly updates on impact.
2. Foundation Grants: Funding from foundations and charitable organizations for specific projects such as clean water systems at schools, community water stations, and provincial expansion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

International Action installs gravity-flow tablet chlorinators and drills water wells at community water stations, schools, hospitals, and orphanages throughout Haiti to provide clean, safe drinking water. The organization also runs complementary public health programs including Albendazole de-worming pill distribution and vitamin donations to combat waterborne and parasitic diseases. Operations are funded entirely by charitable donations and foundation grants, with Haitian staff training local water boards to own and maintain each system for long-term sustainability.

Product overview

International Action operates a portfolio of clean water and health programs in Haiti. The core offerings center on tablet chlorinator systems (LF-500, LF-1500, LF-1000 models) that disinfect stored water without electricity, paired with water storage tanks (150-gallon to 2,000-gallon capacities). In areas where piped systems cannot reach, the organization provides Village Drill well drilling services capable of boring 150-foot deep wells. Supporting health programs include Albendazole de-worming pills and vitamin distribution. Infrastructure components include solar-powered and hand pump systems. The Chlorine Distribution System enables communities to sustain their chlorinator installations by purchasing replacement tablets through an elected representative network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tablet Chlorinators (LF-500, LF-1500, LF-1000) Gravity-flow chlorine disinfection devices that treat water stored in community tanks using chlorine tablets; each chlorinator can disinfect water for more than 10,000 people, requires no electricity, and is installed directly at Haitian community sites, schools, hospitals, and orphanages.
• Village Drill Well Drilling Service Hand-operated, portable drilling service that creates boreholes up to 150 feet deep to access groundwater; the drill disassembles into pieces that can be hand-carried to sites inaccessible to large drilling rigs.
• Community Water Tank Installation Installation of 150-gallon and 2,000-gallon water storage tanks at community sites, schools, hospitals, and orphanages to store and distribute chlorinated water.
• Albendazole De-worming Pills Program Distribution of Albendazole de-worming medication to Haitian children to treat intestinal worms and parasites; one tablet provides up to six months of protection against hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and other parasites.
• Vitamin Donation Program Vitamin A and essential vitamin distribution program for Haitian children to combat malnutrition and support healthy development.
• Solar Pump Systems Solar-powered submersible pump systems that draw water from wells and pipe it to community cisterns, eliminating the operational cost of gasoline generators.
• Hand Pump Systems Manual hand pumps installed in wells for communities to access groundwater, maintained by local water committees.
• Chlorine Distribution System A community-based distribution network allowing elected community representatives to purchase and transport chlorine tablets needed to maintain chlorinator systems over the long term.

Quantifiable outcome

• Each chlorinator can disinfect water for more than 10,000 people
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Committee of the Red Cross (CICR/Red Cross)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to return clean water to slums in Port-au-Prince, specifically in the Cite Soleil neighborhood. International Action's role was to install chlorinators while CICR provided broader support.
• Yéle HaitiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall foundation founded by Wyclef Jean and Jerry Duplessis that supports Haitian causes.
• NorwecocoreTechnology or IntegrationManufactures the chlorinators that International Action has installed at all distribution sites. Norweco has granted International Action exclusive distribution rights to their chlorinators in Haiti.
• Christian Aid MinistriesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReligious group partner collaborating on clean water initiatives in Haiti.
• UNICEF WASH ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF WASH Cluster donated water and hygiene supplies and equipment including water bladders, hygiene kits, water containers, and safety supplies distributed to communities around Port-au-Prince and Léogâne.
• Arch Chemicals (now Lonza)coreTechnology or IntegrationPartner since 2005. Produces the affordable, safe chlorine tablets used to disinfect water at chlorinator sites. One tablet can disinfect up to 25,000 gallons of water. Also donated granular chlorine during the 2010 cholera epidemic.
• EarthSpark InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner since 2010. Provided durable, waterproof Mini-BoGo solar flashlights so water board members can operate water stations during night if needed.
• P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated one pallet of 116,325 PuR calcium hypochlorite sachets distributed to locations where chlorinators cannot immediately be installed. Each sachet can clean up to 10 liters of water.
• Vestergaard FrandsenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplied mosquito nets for International Action staff in Haiti.
• Sumitomo ChemicalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplied long-lasting insecticidal Olyset mosquito nets for staff and for the Lafana Institute of Hope orphanage in Léogâne serving over 1,000 orphans, children, women, and elderly.
• Genesis NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelped procure a large supply of long-lasting mosquito nets for the Lafana Institute of Hope in Léogâne, Haiti.
• Clinton Global Initiative Haiti Action NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Action has complete support from Denis O'Brien, founder of Digicel and Chairman of CGI's Haiti Action Network. Network provides platform for coordination among CGI member organizations working in Haiti.
• AmeriCaresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with AmeriCares to champion cooperation among NGOs and reestablish water infrastructure in the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince.
• Action Against HungerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to reestablish water infrastructure in the poorest neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince, including Mont Jolie community.
• Architecture for HumanityminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCGI member that collaborated with International Action on the Southeast Water Project, installing the first clean water system.
• DINEPA (Haiti's National Water Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHaiti's national water agency is very interested in expanding the Chlorine Bank Network. DINEPA has worked to restore water in Cite-aux-Cayes and invited IA to participate in World Water Day events.
• New Generation MinistriesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to drill wells for a hospital in Hinche, Haiti during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital provides medical services using mostly Cuban medical staff.
• Digicel FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProposed to distribute 45,000 dosages of de-worming pills through its 20 schools in Haiti to cover 9,000 children and their households.
• Clinton Global InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Weiss presented the new urban chlorination system at the CGI meeting in New York. IA honored by President Clinton for work in Port-au-Prince.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Partners In Health: Partners In Health is a major healthcare nonprofit with deep, long-standing operations in Haiti. Directly comparable as a Haiti-based nonprofit delivering essential health infrastructure (including water/sanitation at clinics and hospitals) to impoverished communities, with similar donor model and Haitian staff model.
• Waves for Water: Waves for Water is a nonprofit that provides clean water solutions in developing countries through portable filtration systems. Comparable as a smaller WASH nonprofit distributing point-of-use water treatment technology in resource-constrained settings.
• Water Mission: Water Mission is a Christian-engineered nonprofit providing safe water and sanitation solutions in developing countries. Comparable as a WASH-focused nonprofit using engineered solutions (filtration, pumping) deployed through partner networks in low-income countries.
• Action Against Hunger: Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization addressing hunger including through WASH programming. Already an existing partner of International Action; comparable as a WASH-and-health NGO working in Haiti with similar intervention mix.
• SOIL Haiti: SOIL operates sustainable sanitation services in Haiti, focused on converting human waste into compost. Closely comparable as a Haiti-based WASH social enterprise working on the sanitation side of the same water/sanitation value chain IA addresses.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: WaterAid is a leading international NGO focused exclusively on WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) in low-income countries. Directly comparable mission and intervention mix (community water systems, advocacy, hygiene education), though operating at far larger scale across multiple continents.
• Water.org: Water.org, co-founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, focuses on global water and sanitation access through market-based financing. Comparable as a high-profile WASH nonprofit with similar donor-driven funding model and advocacy focus.
• charity: water: charity: water is a major U.S.-based nonprofit funding clean water projects in developing countries. Comparable as a donor-funded WASH NGO, though it operates globally rather than concentrated in Haiti and finances partner-led implementations rather than running its own field operations.
• UNICEF WASH: UNICEF's WASH program is the global flagship for water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions for children and families. Comparable as a WASH donor/partner already funding International Action through the WASH Cluster; operates at vastly larger scale as a UN agency.

Emerging players

• Engineers Without Borders: Engineers Without Borders USA partners with communities to build essential infrastructure including water systems in developing countries. Comparable as an engineering-driven nonprofit implementing water/sanitation infrastructure in low-income communities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/haiti_water
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Haitiwater
• Facebookfacebook.com/haitiwater
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-action

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Action