Clean water, in one generation.
River Forward partners with communities across East Africa to build, maintain and own their own water infrastructure. Since 2009, we've reached 1.4M people across 6 countries.
15 years. 1.4 million people reached.
People reached
Wells built
Countries
To programs
Community-owned. Locally-built. Lasting.
Most water projects fail within 5 years. Ours don't — because we never build alone.
Every well, every pipeline, every rainwater system we install is co-built and fully owned by the community it serves. We train local technicians, fund local maintenance committees, and don't leave until the system has run for two unsubsidized years.
- Community-led design — sites, technology, and timing all decided locally.
- Local employment — 87% of project costs go to local labor and materials.
- Maintenance funded for 3 years — then transitions to local cost-recovery.
- Audited annually — finances and impact data, public.
Your gift, doubled
Every dollar through May 31 is matched 2:1 by The Hartwell Foundation. Up to $250,000.
$25
Clean water for 1 person, 5 years
$60
Clean water for a family of 4
$150
A maintenance technician training
$2,400
A whole new well, named with your gift
River Forward is a registered 501(c)(3) · EIN 80-1234567 · Donations tax-deductible in the US
Where we're working in 2026
Turkana, Kenya · 12 villages
Solar-pump water systems for 14,000 people across 12 villages. Phase 1 of 3.
68% funded · $172k of $250k
Tanga, Tanzania · School wells
Pipeline extensions to 8 schools serving 4,200 students. Solar-powered, community-maintained.
42% funded · $84k of $200k
Uganda
Rainwater harvesting · 6 villages · Starts July
Ethiopia
Spring protection · 4 villages · Planning phase
Rwanda
Pipeline + 2 wells · Funded, breaking ground June
Voices from the communities we work with
"Before the well, my daughters walked 4 hours every day for water. Now they're in school. Two of them want to be teachers. One wants to be a doctor."
Adelaide N.
Mother of three · Turkana, Kenya
"I was trained as the village water technician. River Forward trained me, and now my community pays me to keep our system running. It feels like real work."
Yusuf O.
Maintenance lead · Tanga, Tanzania
"The maintenance committee meets monthly. We collect a small fee from each family. The system has run without an outside grant for two years now."
Rebecca A.
Water committee chair · Uganda
Volunteer
Remote skills-based volunteering (design, writing, finance, engineering). 4 — 12 hour monthly commitments. We never send untrained volunteers overseas.
See open rolesCorporate partners
Match employee donations, sponsor a village project, fund a capacity-building cohort. Custom partnerships from $25k.
Partner with us