Drinking Water Kit ($20)

Clean water is essential for life — but, in many of the world's poorest places, water that's suitable for drinking is in dangerously short supply. The pollution of urban environments, the ravages of drought and isolation brought on by conflict all contribute to the lack of water, as well as the negative effects that shortage has on communities.

Why Help Is Needed

Without clean drinking water, disease flourishes. The body weakens. Communities wither. This most basic need for survival is one of the biggest challenges on the planet, with more than one billion people without access to clean water.

Mercy Corps In Action

In places ranging from tiny villages in Sudan to the sprawling slums of Indonesia's capital, Mercy Corps engineers work with communities to create solutions that bring water to families in a sustainable and inexpensive way. From neighborhood water systems that use towers and tanks, to wells that quench a community's thirst, our team finds ways to start the flow of water to families — and keep it going.

Laliah's Story

Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps

At least one billion people around the world lack access to clean water. Laliah, a 70-year-old widow who earns only $20 a month from renting a tiny apartment above her small home, was once one of them.

She lives in Tanah Merah, one of Jakarta's poorest neighborhoods, a place where residents receive no municipal water service and used to fork over a third of their wages to buy water from private sellers.

Over the last several months, Mercy Corps negotiated with local government authorities and a private water company to get clean water flowing to Laliah and her neighbors. We then built a water system, from tower to the holding tanks to the kitchen taps, and taught residents how to maintain it.

Today, her monthly bill now averages only 11,000 rupiah (US $1.10) for about 3,000 liters of water. And she’s insistent on doing her part.

“I am very punctual with my payments,” Laliah contends. “If the bill collectors don’t come when they’re scheduled, I will go to the office to pay.”

Drinking Water Kit ($20)
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Purchase of a Mercy Kit is a symbolic gift that supports Mercy Corps' worldwide programs to help children and families in need. The Breastfeeding Kit, Climate Change Kit, Fuel-Efficient Stove Kit, Cricket Farm Kit, Send an Orphan to School Kit, Plant a Tree Kit, Play to Heal Kit and Uganda Farm Kit supports those specific project funds. Proceeds from the sale of other Mercy Kits will be used where most needed.