Presented by Fierce Philanthropy - What if you supported a clean water initiative—raised the funds, celebrated the impact—only to discover later that the water wasn’t actually safe to drink? This happens more than you might think.

What if, instead, you could support an organization that doesn’t just drill wells—but treats, tests, maintains, and delivers safe water directly into people’s homes, just like the system you rely on every day?

In this episode, Christelle Kwizera, founder and CEO of Water Access Rwanda, joins host Todd Manwaring to share how her team is bringing safe, affordable, tap-like water access to rural communities across Rwanda. Christelle explains why “clean” isn’t the same as “safe,” how Water Access Rwanda’s Inuma mini-grid model delivers treated water through pipelines with ongoing maintenance and testing, and what it takes to keep systems working years after the ribbon-cutting.

You'll also learn:

• Why water projects fail when no one owns maintenance, monitoring, and accountability
• How time savings from near-home water access can translate into income, dignity, and shifting gender roles
• What the data says about health outcomes—and how Water Access Rwanda tracks active users instead of inflated totals

A special thanks to our production sponsor, UI Charitable.

Links from this episode:

Learn more about Water Access Rwanda: https://www.warwanda.com/

Check out more stories of clean water access: https://www.youtube.com/@wateraccessrwanda9821

Find other effective social impact organizations here: http://fiercephilanthropy.org/vetted-organizations/