+1 WASH

A network-based approach to improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Sub-Saharan Africa

Three billion people across the world have no access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. And in the world’s poorest countries, half of all hospitals and clinics have no clean water. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this already stark reality.

We need to act. Together.

The Roddenberry Foundation, in partnership with the Sall Family, Shockwave, and Sall Family Foundations launched +1 WASH to promote a more inclusive, scalable, and collaborative approach to improving WASH infrastructure and services in communities in greatest need.

Leveraging the +1 Global Fund model, we aim to:

Identify and support locally-led organizations improving WASH outcomes

Build a robust pipeline of diverse, “under-the-radar” organizations working with last-mile and vulnerable communities

Collect unprecedented data on individual, organizational and network behavior to catalyze action and learning

Form an adaptive ecosystem of funders, intermediaries, social entrepreneurs, and grassroots organizations working in related fields

The pandemic has shed light on the fragility and inequality of our most foundational systems, while highlighting the innovation and resilience of locally-led organizations. To improve upon and ultimately change our failing systems for the better, we must leverage this moment to support them in profoundly different ways. +1 WASH is an ambitious, collective effort to catalyze this change.

+1 WASH is supported by a unique collaboration of funders, partners, and experts working together to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” (SDG 6).

You can see who has been supported to date in the +1 WASH Awardee Directory. And if you are interested in learning more about any Awardee or the +1 WASH program, please let us know.