Water Is Basic

What Water Is Basic does

Water Is Basic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2006 in Dallas, Texas, operating clean water programs in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The organization trains and equips women-led teams of pump mechanics to repair broken wells, pivoting in 2020 from a traditional well-drilling model to a repair-and-maintain model that returns water to communities in days rather than years. As of 2025, the organization reports 2,916 completed water projects, 1.5 million people served with clean water, and 55 women-led repair teams, with 35 active teams having restored clean water to 85,000 families in 2025 alone. Its core offerings include the Women's Well Repair Initiative, a Real-Time Repair Tracker (an interactive dashboard showing GPS coordinates of repaired wells), an I Dream of Water School Challenge, and a corporate brand partnership program allowing a single sponsor to fund an entire state of South Sudan.

The organization's business model is entirely donation-funded. Revenue streams include individual giving (monthly subscriptions at $7/month per family and $250/month per mechanic), corporate brand partnerships ($250,000 to fund a new state), employer matching, donor-advised fund grants, appreciated stock gifts, and cryptocurrency donations processed through Every.org. Go-to-market is community-led: storytelling through video content, a real-time GPS repair tracker that builds donor trust, grassroots word-of-mouth, and direct outreach to corporate partners. The US team is a lean digital-nomad operation of fewer than 10 staff (Austin, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas), while South Sudan operations are executed by the local partner NGO Women's Empowerment Solutions Initiative (WESI), which employs 18 local staff. The organization targets expanding from 2 to all 10 states of South Sudan by 2030 under its Vision 2030 strategy, at a current per-well repair cost of approximately $805, down 75% from $2,125 in 2020.

Name

Water Is Basic

Legal name

Water is Basic

Website

https://waterisbasic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Water Is Basic is a US-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that trains women-led teams to repair broken water wells in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, funding operations through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and the Vision 2030 plan to reach all 10 South Sudanese states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Water and Sanitation Services

NAICS

Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (221310), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Field Operations & Repair Services (Emergency Response, Leak Repair, Crew Dispatch) (EUANAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pump & Well Services for Irrigation (Well Testing, Pump Sizing, Rehab) (AFACAFAG), Watering Systems (Troughs, Waterers, Monitoring) (AFAAAIAF)

Keywords

• Clean water access
• Well repair services
• Women-led nonprofit
• Humanitarian water programs
• Corporate giving partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Water Is Basic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded entirely by donations. Individual donors contribute through the website, with the organization emphasizing that 100% of donations go directly toward water projects.
2. Employer Matching: Corporate employees can have their donations matched by their employer through Water Is Basic's employer matching program.
3. Stock and Cryptocurrency Donations: Donors can contribute via appreciated stock (avoiding capital gains tax) and cryptocurrency. The organization partners with Every.org for crypto donations.
4. Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) Grants: Donors can recommend grants directly from their Donor-Advised Fund. Water Is Basic is recognized by most DAFs including Fidelity and Schwab.
5. Brand/Corporate Partnerships: Corporate partners fund entire states in South Sudan, providing startup capital, equipment, tools, spare parts logistics, recruiting, admin support, and leadership for women-led repair teams. Partnerships are marketed as a corporate responsibility and brand-building initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Water Is Basic trains and equips women-led teams to repair and maintain broken water wells in South Sudan, providing sustainable clean water access for communities. Its core program, the Women's Well Repair Initiative, deploys trained women pump mechanics who restore wells in days rather than years, with operational support from a local partner NGO (WESI) and real-time transparency through a GPS-based repair tracker.

Product overview

Water Is Basic is a nonprofit organization operating primarily in South Sudan that provides clean water solutions through a women-centered model. The core offering is the Women's Well Repair Initiative, which trains women to become pump mechanics who repair broken wells in days rather than years. Supporting programs include the Real-Time Repair Tracker (a transparency tool showing repair data with geographic coordinates), the I Dream of Water School Challenge (an educational fundraising program), and corporate Brand Partnerships for larger-scale funding. Donation options range from monthly giving programs (Fund a Family at $7/month, Fund a New Mechanic at $250/month) to major initiatives (Fund a New State at $250,000). The organization is working toward Vision 2030 to provide clean water access to all of South Sudan through expansion from 2 to 10 states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women's Well Repair Initiative: A program that trains and equips women to launch and manage well repair businesses, turning clean water back on for thousands of families in South Sudan.
• Vision 2030
• I Dream of Water School Challenge

Products and services

• Women's Well Repair Initiative Core program that trains and equips women to launch and manage well repair businesses. Women-led teams repair broken wells in days rather than years, providing sustainable clean water access to communities in South Sudan.
• Real-Time Repair Tracker Interactive web-based tracker showing recently repaired wells in real-time with GPS coordinates, dates, locations, and household counts. Donors can click coordinates to find locations on Google Maps.
• I Dream of Water School Challenge Educational fundraising program where classrooms learn about South Sudan's water crisis and raise funds to support women-led well repair teams. Includes free teacher resources, lesson plans, and school partnerships.
• Fund a New State (Corporate Brand Partnership) Corporate partnership program at $250,000 to launch well-repair initiatives in a brand-new state, including training 40+ women-led repair teams, startup capital, equipment, tools, and one year's supply of spare parts.
• Well Repair & Maintenance Service Local teams of women pump mechanics who repair and maintain wells, ensuring communities have access to well repair in days rather than abandoning broken wells for years.
• Hygiene & Sanitation Training Hygiene and sanitation training and education programs accompanying well repair work to ensure lasting health benefits for communities in South Sudan.
• Entrepreneurship Program Business training and support for women to launch and manage well repair as sustainable enterprises, providing income while serving their communities in South Sudan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,916 completed water projects
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Women's Empowerment Solutions Initiative (WESI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020WESI is Water Is Basic's local partner NGO in South Sudan, carrying out field operations including logistics, warehouse oversight, driving, reporting, training, and deployment of women pump mechanics. WESI is the operational arm that will sustain clean water access for decades to come. As of 2023, WESI has 18 local staff managing the work.
• QgivminorOthersQgiv is the third-party payment processor used by Water Is Basic to securely process online donations. Qgiv collects and processes donor payment information on behalf of the organization.
• Every.orgminorOthersEvery.org is a technology nonprofit that enables Water Is Basic to accept cryptocurrency donations. Through the partnership, Water Is Basic can receive over 100 different cryptocurrencies as tax-efficient charitable donations.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Pentair plc: Public water treatment and flow/filtration technology company. Not a donor peer but a relevant industry comparable given Water Is Basic's reliance on pumps, cylinders, and stainless-steel well infrastructure at scale.

Direct peers

• The Water Project: U.S. nonprofit funding sustainable water projects in sub-Saharan Africa, including well repair and maintenance. Directly comparable donation-funded, drill-and-repair operating model and donor transparency emphasis.
• Water for South Sudan: Nonprofit specifically drilling and maintaining wells in South Sudan, founded by Salva Dut (of "Lost Boy" fame). The closest geographic and operational peer — also raising funds in the U.S. for clean water projects in the same country.
• Wells Bring Hope: Smaller nonprofit funding well drilling in West Africa with a focus on women and girls. Comparably positioned to Water Is Basic as a story-driven, donor-funded clean water nonprofit with a focus on gender impact.
• charity: water: Large U.S.-based nonprofit funding clean water access in developing countries. Directly comparable as a donation-funded, story-driven water charity; uses 100% model and transparency reporting as core fundraising pillars, much like Water Is Basic's 100%-to-projects and Real-Time Repair Tracker claims.
• Lifewater International: Christian nonprofit drilling and rehabilitating water wells in East Africa with a strong emphasis on community-led training and local ownership. Comparable operating geography (including South Sudan-adjacent regions), model, and reliance on recurring donor funding.
• Water.org: Global nonprofit co-founded by Matt Damon focused on expanding access to safe water and sanitation through financial solutions. Comparable mission, donor-base structure, and developing-country geography, though Water.org emphasizes microfinance while Water Is Basic emphasizes community women-led repair teams.

Emerging players

• Blood:Water: Nonprofit partnering with African organizations to deliver clean water and HIV/AIDS response, with significant East Africa presence. Comparable geography and community-led model ethos, though broader mission scope.

Broad incumbents

• WaterAid: Large international NGO working on water, sanitation and hygiene across more than 20 countries. Overlaps with Water Is Basic on clean water access in Africa but operates at a much broader scale, with a portfolio approach including advocacy and WASH programs beyond well repair.
• Concern Worldwide: Large international humanitarian organization with active WASH programming in fragile states including South Sudan. Overlaps with Water Is Basic's operating context and donor pool but operates as a multi-cause agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2Fwaterisbasic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Waterisbasic/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterisbasic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/water-is-basic
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterisbasic

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Water Is Basic