Water Wells For Africa

What Water Wells For Africa does

Water Wells For Africa (WWFA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Manhattan Beach, California, founded in 1996 by Kurt Dahlin after he made initial contacts in Malawi in 1994. The organization's singular operational focus is the installation and long-term stewardship of deep water boreholes equipped with Afridev hand pumps in hard-to-reach rural villages of Malawi. WWFA reports having installed over 600 wells since 1996, serving 500,000+ people across rural districts including Blantyre, Mangochi, Mwanza, and Salima. The core technical differentiator is a community-ownership maintenance model — WWFA trains 10-person Water Committees (5 men, 5 women) per village and designs wells to use locally available parts, yielding a reported 98% functionality rate after 20 years compared to the roughly 40% broken rate that the organization cites as the continental African norm. The organization formally incorporated in March 2007.

In 2020, WWFA extended into a School Water Wells program (30 school wells installed in three years, 500+ planned) and in 2022 launched the Blossom Project, a menstrual hygiene management initiative constructing changing-room facilities at primary schools to reduce female absenteeism. As of 2025, six Blossom facilities have been completed (Nanyanje 2023; Kasengwa, Kanungu, M'Bawa, Mphatso 2024; Chilumba 2025). All programs are delivered directly to beneficiary villages and schools by WWFA staff and partners; there is no third-party distribution or commercial reseller model.

WWFA's revenue model is diversified across at least eight channels: individual one-time and monthly recurring donations (the "Lifeline" program), peer-to-peer fundraising via the "Wishing Well" platform (each well priced at US$9,000 / US$8,000 in different sources), corporate and foundation grants (notably the Brian and Joelle Kelly Family Foundation and the George and Mary Agostini Family Foundation), cryptocurrency donations via The Giving Block, stock donations (US$500 minimum), Donor-Advised Fund grants through Fidelity Charitable and Schwab Charitable, planned giving/bequests, and third-party platforms including eBay for Charity, vehicle donations, and corporate matching gifts. The website lists headcount as undisclosed ("[]") and no parent company, acquisition, or PE investment has occurred. The organization is led by founder Kurt Dahlin, a former McDonnell-Douglas mechanical engineer.

Name

Water Wells For Africa

Legal name

Water Wells For Africa

Website

https://waterwellsforafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Water Wells For Africa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that drills and maintains community-owned water wells in rural Malawi and runs the Blossom Project for girls' school sanitation, sustained by individual donors, foundation grants, and recurring monthly gifts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clean Water and Sanitation Humanitarian Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623)

akta.pro primary industry

Dewatering & Groundwater Control (Wellpoints, Deep Wells, Cutoff Systems) (IMAFAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water-Smart Irrigation & Water Stewardship (Drip/Micro, Scheduling, Water Harvesting) (AFAGAMAD)

Keywords

• Clean water access
• Water well drilling
• Rural development programs
• Nonprofit humanitarian services
• Community WASH programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Redondo Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individual donors. Monthly giving program called 'Lifeline' provides sustainable funding. Donors receive WWFA T-shirt for $18+/month donations.
2. Corporate/Foundation Grants: Major gifts from foundations (Brian and Joelle Kelly Family Foundation, George and Mary Agostini Family Foundation) and corporations to sponsor specific wells ($9,000) or Blossom Project facilities.
3. Cryptocurrency Donations: Accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies through partnership with The Giving Block, offering tax advantages for donors.
4. Stock Donations: Donors can contribute shares of stock with minimum $500 value, receiving fair market value tax deduction and avoiding capital gains taxes.
5. Donor-Advised Fund: Accepts DAF grants from Fidelity Charitable, Schwab Charitable, and other DAF sponsors for tax-efficient charitable giving.
6. Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: Wishing Well platform allows supporters to create personal fundraising pages to raise funds for water wells among their networks.
7. Planned/Estate Giving: Bequests and insurance policy beneficiaries provide long-term sustainable funding.
8. Third-Party Platform Revenue: eBay for Charity, vehicle donations, and company matching gift programs provide additional donation channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Water Wells For Africa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that installs deep water boreholes fitted with Afridev hand pumps in hard-to-reach rural villages in Malawi, paired with training of community-owned 10-person Water Committees to maintain wells for 20-30 years. It also delivers the Blossom Project, which constructs menstrual hygiene changing room facilities at schools, and operates the Wishing Well peer-to-peer fundraising platform and Lifeline monthly giving program to fund these installations through individual donors, foundation grants, and corporate sponsors.

Product overview

Water Wells For Africa is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that operates as a single-purpose humanitarian organization rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings consist of: (1) Water Wells Installation – drilling deep water boreholes in rural villages across Malawi, with over 600 wells installed since 1996; (2) The Blossom Project – a menstrual hygiene management program that constructs changing room facilities at schools to help girls stay in school during menstruation; and (3) Multiple giving programs including the Wishing Well peer-to-peer fundraising platform, Lifeline monthly giving, cryptocurrency donations (via The Giving Block), stock donations, Donor-Advised Fund giving, and corporate matching gift integration. The organization does not offer a technology product in the traditional SaaS sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blossom Project: Menstrual Hygiene Management initiative providing changing rooms and hygiene facilities for girls at schools in Malawi to reduce absenteeism and support education
• The Lifeline
• Wishing Well

Products and services

• Water Wells Installation Drilling and installation of deep water boreholes fitted with Afridev hand pumps in hard-to-reach rural Malawian villages, paired with training of a 10-person community Water Committee (5 men and 5 women) responsible for ongoing maintenance. Wells are designed for 20-30 year service life using locally available parts. Over 600 wells have been installed since 1996, serving 500,000+ people.
• Blossom Project Construction of dedicated Menstrual Hygiene Management changing room facilities at primary and secondary schools in Malawi, giving girls private, dignified spaces and supplies to manage menstruation so they can attend school consistently. Completed at six schools including Nanyanje, Kasengwa, Kanungu, M'Bawa, Mphatso, and Chilumba.
• Wishing Well Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Platform Peer-to-peer fundraising platform where individual supporters create personal fundraising pages and rally their networks (email and social media) to raise funds toward sponsoring a complete $9,000 water well in rural Malawi. Donors who fund a complete well receive a dedication plaque on the installed well.
• Lifeline Monthly Giving Program Recurring monthly donation program providing WWFA with sustainable, predictable funding for water well installation and maintenance. Donors giving $18 or more per month receive a WWFA T-shirt as a thank-you gift; $18/month is presented as providing one person with clean water for 20 years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of wells function after 20 years (vs. 40% continental Africa average)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Malawian CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 1996WWFA works directly with rural villages in Malawi to identify water needs, install boreholes, and train Water Committees. This is the core mission partnership that has enabled 600+ wells since 1996. Kurt Dahlin made first connections in Blantyre, Malawi in 1994.
• Facebook (Meta)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSocial media platform for donor engagement and awareness campaigns. WWFA maintains Facebook page for outreach and community building.
• Kurt Dahlin (Founder)coreOthersFounder who established WWFA in 1996 after connections in Malawi in 1994. Leads annual inspection tours and maintains long-term community relationships. Goal to install 1,000 wells in Malawi.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• charity: water: charity: water funds water access projects in developing countries, with a strong emphasis on private donations, monthly giving, and a 100% model for public donations. It is the most prominent direct competitor for donor mindshare in the WASH nonprofit space.
• The Water Project: The Water Project funds and implements sustainable water projects in sub-Saharan Africa, with a strong focus on well rehabilitation and school WASH programs. Directly comparable in delivery model, geography, and donor engagement approach.
• Blood:Water: Blood:Water partners with African organizations to deliver clean water and HIV/AIDS support across multiple sub-Saharan countries. Comparable in nonprofit structure, donor base, and African geographic focus.
• Water.org: Water.org (founded by Matt Damon and Gary White) finances water and sanitation solutions in developing countries via microfinance and partnerships. It operates at much larger scale and addresses overlapping beneficiary populations.
• Water For People: Water For People invests in long-term, locally-owned water and sanitation services in developing countries, with explicit emphasis on durability metrics similar to WWFA's 98% functionality claim.
• Pump Aid: Pump Aid installs low-cost, maintainable water pumps across sub-Saharan Africa, including Malawi. Comparable technology stack (Afridev and similar hand pumps) and emphasis on community maintenance sustainability.
• WaterAid: WaterAid is a global nonprofit focused on clean water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries, including in Malawi. Comparable in mission and beneficiary base, with significantly larger scale and institutional presence.
• Wells Bring Hope: Wells Bring Hope drills water wells in Niger, West Africa, with a similar community-ownership training model. Highly comparable as a small-to-mid-sized donor-funded well-drilling nonprofit targeting rural African communities.
• Lifewater International: Lifewater International drills and rehabilitates wells and trains local mechanics in sub-Saharan Africa, including Malawi. Directly comparable in well-drilling technology, community training, and target geography.

Emerging players

• Engineers Without Borders USA: Engineers Without Borders implements water and sanitation infrastructure projects in developing countries through volunteer engineers. Overlapping mission and beneficiary geographies, though a volunteer-driven model with broader infrastructure focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/waterwellswwfa
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/WaterWellsforAfrica
• Facebookfacebook.com/waterwellsforafrica
• Instagraminstagram.com/waterwellsforafrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/water-wells-for-africa

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Wells For Africa