Water Access

We partner with Water.org, to remove financial barriers to clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), helping families access affordable micro-loans to install water taps and toilets in their homes.

One such family is Theresia’s. She supports her family through farming, a shop and her husband runs a butcher’s. For years, access to safe water and sanitation was a major challenge. She walked long distances to collect water from unsafe sources, including scarce muddy water during dry season. The physical toll was exhausting and the time spent collecting water meant less time for her children, farm, and business.

Through Water.org, Theresia took a US$315 loan for a 6,000-litre water tank to provide water for domestic use, lasting through the dry season. These loans are repaid at a rate of 98%, with 90% of borrowers being women, allowing capital to be recycled to reach more households. Later, a sanitation loan enabled Theresia to construct a private toilet, improving health and hygiene. Further loans supported construction of a well to support irrigation on her farm.

Today, with reliable water and sanitation, Theresia spends less time collecting water and has more time for farming, caring for her children and growing her business. To date, our investment has helped 2.7 million people gain access to clean water and sanitation, and together we’re on track to reach 5 million people by 2030.

By combining our experience with our partners’ expertise, we support innovative financing solutions that empower communities to invest in their own water and sanitation infrastructure.

In 2023, Reckitt unlocked its corporate balance sheet as a new source of impact capital to invest into WaterEquity’s Fund IV. This Impact Investment Fund provides capital to microfinance institutions to expand their water and sanitation lending portfolios. The fund is supported by the DFC and other corporate investors such as Starbucks, GAP and Ecolab. We expanded our investment strategy as a launch investor in the Water & Climate Resilience Fund in 2024. The fund invests in projects that improve water supply, treat wastewater and promote water reuse in communities facing the greatest challenges. In January 2026, we announced our latest $10 million investment into WaterEquity’s Everspring Fund – another vital step towards our ambition to improve health, resilience and livelihoods.

These investments generate measurable social impact, reaching people with improved water and sanitation solutions while also generating financial returns on the investment, creating a sustainable model of impact. So far, WaterEquity has raised over $470 million, helping improve access to clean water and sanitation for 8.4 million people worldwide.

The Dettol Hygiene Quest in Nigeria delivers a multi-level hygiene education implementation across schools, healthcare facilities and communities. Since its inception in 2021, the program has helped protect over 600,000 Nigerian families from preventable diseases while supporting healthier communities for long term behaviour change.

By reducing the incidence of preventable illnesses such as diarrheal and waterborne diseases, the project has helped to improve school attendance, boost academic performance and support healthier childhood development. The programme brings the Nigerian National WASH Policy to life, focusing on hygiene education, handwashing culture and community-driven behaviour change.

Beyond schools, it has extended its reach into communities and healthcare facilities, equipping individuals and health workers with the knowledge and resources required to adopt and sustain improved hygiene practices. In doing so, the initiative not only addresses immediate needs but also contributes to Nigeria’s progress toward achieving SDG 6.2. This ensures equitable sanitation and hygiene for all through education, behaviour change and strengthened systems.