Water For Kids

What Water For Kids does

Water for Kids is a UK-registered charity (Charity No. 1178084) founded in 1994 by Environmental Health Officers to deliver water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to underserved rural communities. Headquartered in Uppingham, England, with operations spanning Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya, the charity has reached over 450,000 beneficiaries across 154 communities in nine countries over 25 years and helped more than 39,000 people access safe water and hygiene in 2024/25 alone.

The organization's service portfolio includes borehole drilling and rehabilitation, spring source protection, solar-powered water distribution systems, school sanitation facilities (latrines and girls' washrooms for menstrual hygiene), community sanitation programs using locally-produced sanplats, and hygiene education including a pilot liquid-soap-making program. Implementation is conducted through partnerships with local environmental health professional bodies—most notably the Zambian Institute of Environmental Health (ZIEH) and field teams led by Muzamiro Bidondole in Uganda and Project Manager Kennedy Mulele in Zambia—ensuring technical expertise and long-term sustainability via trained Water Committees, Hygiene Promoters, and Pump Menders who maintain infrastructure post-completion.

Water for Kids operates as a non-profit with no products or services sold. Funding is sourced from individual donations (website, mail, fundraising events), corporate partnerships (Killgerm as a long-term partner raising £63,000 since 2013), foundation grants (Randal Charitable Foundation, Dormywood Trust, Big Give Christmas Challenge), and legacy bequests. The charity directs 93.7% of all funding to overseas projects and is governed by a volunteer board of trustees with deep technical expertise in environmental health, water engineering, philanthropy, and technology.

Name

Water For Kids

Legal name

Water for Kids

Website

https://waterforkids.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Water for Kids is a UK-registered charity founded in 1994 that delivers water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure and education to rural communities in Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya, funded entirely through donations and supported by local environmental health professional partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Water and Sanitation Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Sanitary Services (4950), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

WASH & Public Health (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) (BPADAIAG), Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI), WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene) Organizations (HLAJAKAI), WASH, Hygiene & Infection Prevention Programs (Handwashing) (EDACAMAL)

Keywords

• Clean water access
• Sanitation infrastructure
• Hygiene education
• WASH projects
• Community development

Headquarters

HQ city

Market Harborough

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Regular and one-time donations from individual supporters, facilitated through the website (online giving), direct mail (cheques), and fundraising events. The organization accepts regular donations, one-time gifts, and memorial donations in memory of loved ones.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate supporters provide financial contributions through donations, fundraising events (like raffles), and matched funding programs. Key corporate partners include Killgerm (£63,000 raised since 2013), Machin & Toplass, Harmony Fire, and others.
3. Legacy Giving: Bequests and gifts left in supporters' wills, providing long-term funding for the organization's work. The Stephen Young Memorial Project was funded through such a legacy.
4. Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable foundations including Randal Charitable Foundation (£19,300 for Nakavumbi project), Big Give Christmas Challenge (£22,187 raised in 2024/25), Peter Stebbings Trust, Dormywood Trust, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Water for Kids is a UK-registered charity (No. 1178084) that delivers water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure and education to underserved communities in Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya. Core services include drilling and rehabilitating boreholes, protecting spring sources, installing solar-powered water distribution systems, constructing school latrines and girls' washrooms, training community Water Committees, and delivering hygiene education programs. All services are provided free of charge to beneficiary communities, funded entirely through charitable donations.

Product overview

Water for Kids is a UK-registered charity (No. 1178084) that provides a portfolio of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to underserved communities in Uganda, Zambia, and Kenya. The organization operates as a project-based charity rather than a software product company. Its core offerings include: borehole drilling and rehabilitation, spring source protection, solar-powered water distribution systems, school sanitation facilities (latrines and girls' washrooms), and community sanitation programs using locally-produced sanplats. Cross-cutting these technical services are hygiene education and training programs, including liquid soap making and tippy-tap construction, as well as training for local Water Committees to ensure project sustainability. Projects are implemented through partnerships with local environmental health professionals and are funded by supporters, corporate partners, and foundations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Borehole Installation Drilling of new boreholes to provide rural communities with access to clean groundwater, equipped with hand pumps or solar-powered distribution systems delivering water to taps.
• Borehole Rehabilitation Repair and rehabilitation of existing disused boreholes, including replacement of pumps and parts, to restore clean water access in a cost-effective manner.
• Spring Source Protection Construction of dams and collection systems around natural spring sources to prevent contamination from animals and humans, making artesian water safe for community collection.
• School Sanitation Facilities Construction and renovation of school latrines, handwashing stations, and dedicated washrooms for older girls to ensure privacy and dignity during menstruation, improving school attendance.
• Solar-Powered Water Systems Installation of submersible solar pumps that raise water from boreholes to elevated tanks and distribute through pipework to multiple tap points around a community or school.
• Community Sanitation Program (Sanplats) Training community members to manufacture sanplats (concrete latrine slabs) and build their own household latrines, reducing open defecation through a self-sustaining local production model.
• Hygiene Education and Training Training delivered to schools and communities on handwashing, hygiene practices, and the construction and use of tippy-taps for handwashing, promoting lifelong healthy habits.
• Water Committee Training Training local community members to form and operate Water Committees responsible for managing, maintaining, and repairing water points, ensuring long-term project sustainability.
• Liquid Soap Making Program Pilot project teaching communities to make liquid soap to address rising soap costs and support handwashing hygiene education, establishing a self-sustaining community scheme.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.7% of all funding goes directly to overseas projects
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Zambia Institute of Environmental Health (ZIEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZIEH oversees all Water for Kids projects in Zambia. The institute was established with help from CIEH over 20 years ago. They appoint project managers like Kennedy Mulele to manage field operations, train local Environmental Health Technicians, and ensure project sustainability through local oversight.
• Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater for Kids was founded by Environmental Health Officers and maintains close ties with CIEH. Partnership was reignited in 2024 with Trustee Elaine Rudman presenting at CIEH Water Quality Conference. CIEH helps facilitate connections with environmental health professionals worldwide.
• Kenya Acorn ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributed to Kenya rainwater harvesting project in Ndhiwa Western Kenya, working with North East CIEH and Water for Kids to provide safe water to approximately 1,800 children in four primary schools.
• JustGivingminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform facilitating online donations to Water for Kids. One of several fundraising platforms used including Charities Trust.
• Charities TrustminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party fundraising platform facilitating donations to Water for Kids through workplace giving and individual donations.
• Big Give Christmas ChallengecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMatched funding campaign platform that helped Water for Kids reach £22,187 in 2024/25, enabling clean water access for 1,600 people in Bubogu community.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• WaterCan/Eau Vive: WaterCan/Eau Vive is a Canadian charity working on sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene programs in developing countries, comparable to Water for Kids in WASH mission and small-to-mid scale NGO operations.
• charity: water: charity: water is a major WASH-focused nonprofit funding clean water projects in developing countries. It is comparable to Water for Kids in mission and beneficiary outcomes, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is a UK-based international charity focused on providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene in some of the world's poorest communities. It is the most directly comparable peer to Water for Kids in terms of WASH mission, UK charity status, and African field operations.
• WaterWells for Africa: WaterWells for Africa is a small nonprofit drilling and rehabilitating boreholes in sub-Saharan Africa, sharing Water for Kids' borehole-centric delivery model and African geographic focus.
• Pump Aid: Pump Aid focuses on sustainable water and sanitation solutions in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Malawi and Zimbabwe. Like Water for Kids, it delivers boreholes, pumps, and community-led sanitation with hygiene education.
• Dig Deep: Dig Deep (formerly WaterWorks) is a UK-based charity working on water, sanitation and hygiene in sub-Saharan Africa. It shares Water for Kids' geographic focus, UK donor base, and community-led delivery approach.
• Just a Drop: Just a Drop is a small UK-based charity delivering clean water projects and hygiene education to rural communities in developing countries, with a very similar operating model and beneficiary profile to Water for Kids.

Emerging players

• Engineers Without Borders UK: Engineers Without Borders UK partners with communities in developing countries on water and sanitation infrastructure, sharing technical delivery overlap with Water for Kids but operating with broader engineering scope and a volunteer chapter model.
• Amref Health Africa: Amref Health Africa delivers community health and WASH interventions across Africa. A Water for Kids trustee previously worked at Amref, signalling direct adjacency; Amref provides overlapping health-and-water programming in East Africa.

Broad incumbents

• UNICEF WASH Programme: UNICEF's global Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme is the largest institutional WASH funder worldwide. It is comparable to Water for Kids in mission and beneficiary focus, but operates at vastly larger scale as a multilateral agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WaterForKids
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPgAMMUlcjHODk3LHjasfoQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterforkids.org/?ref=hl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 For Kids