WaterAid is an international non-profit organization with water, sanitation and hygiene programs in 26 countries. Since 1981 they have helped 21.2 million people gain access to safe water. Since 2004 they have helped 18.1 million people get sanitation.

Their vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation.  The organization transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities. They work with partners and influence decision-makers to maximize their impact.

WaterAid enables the world's poorest people to gain access to safe water and sanitation. Together with improved hygiene, these basic human rights underpin health, education and livelihoods, forming the first essential step in overcoming poverty. They work with local partners, who understand local issues, and provide them with the skills and support to help communities set up and manage practical and sustainable projects that meet their real needs. They also work locally and internationally to change policy and practice and ensure water, hygiene and sanitation’s vital role in reducing poverty is recognized.

The staff of Arup understand the powerful impact their skill and creativity can have when it is targeted at the lives of people in need.  Since 2012, Arup has maintained a strong partnership with WaterAid America, an international organization dedicated to providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to the developing world.  As of 2014, 768 million people lack access to potable drinking water, and 2.5 billion people don’t have access to an adequate bathroom.  The resulting conditions lead to the death of almost 2,000 children a day, according to the World Health Organization.

This partnership has given our staff the opportunity to directly support WaterAid’s efforts by providing knowledge and guidance in technical areas that have allowed the organization to enhance its work in the western hemisphere.  Engineers with a broad array of backgrounds have collaborated with WaterAid to provide information on innovative solutions to the technical challenges they face while striving to meet their mission.  In recent years, Arup has developed design guidelines on solar powered and hydraulic ram pumping systems for small and large communities, documented strategies for on-site household level sewage treatment, raised funds to provide water and sanitation systems to schools in marginalized regions of Nicaragua, and provided critical translations of technical documents from English to languages native to the regions where WaterAid works.