In the first half of 2023, the LifeStraw team has been busy making an impact. To date, we’ve reached over 327,125 people with access to safe water through our Give Back Program, emergency response efforts and humanitarian partnerships.
Here’s a glimpse into the programs and emergency response campaigns that we’ve been working on.
2023 GIVE BACK CAMPAIGN
LifeStraw’s Give Back program is the heart of our business. For every LifeStraw product purchased, a child in need receives safe drinking water for an entire year.
In February 2023, we implemented our annual safe water campaign in western Kenya. Over the course of one week, our local team (with the enthusiastic support from the rest of the company who traveled to Kenya) installed 561 new LifeStraw Community purifiers across 105 schools, reaching 61,000 new kids with safe drinking water. The teams also provided WASH education to all the students, including the benefits of safe drinking water and proper handwashing.
Since the inception of our Give Back program, we have reached 9,560,442 kids with a year of safe drinking water across 3,135 schools.
Give Back Monitoring
Northern Kenya has been facing its worst drought in over 40 years, leaving 4.4 million people without access to food or water. In November 2022, in partnership with nonprofit Mary’s Meals, LifeStraw distributed 589 LifeStraw Community water purifiers to 438 schools in Turkana, Kenya, reaching 60,178 kids with safe drinking water. The majority of the schools have dug wells in the dried-up river beds in order to access water.
In 2023, the LifeStraw team carried out a weeklong monitoring and evaluation activity of the Turkana program, to check in on LifeStraw Community adoption, use and maintenance, and program impact.
Despite resource challenges (some schools made LifeStraw Community stands from twigs and reeds), the units were found clean and have been put to good use!
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
Due to climate change, disasters of all kinds are becoming more frequent and more intense. Many natural and humanitarian disasters result in the destruction of critical water and sanitation infrastructure, and infectious disease outbreaks are common due to the spread of sewage, breakdown of WASH services and diminished ability to practice good hygiene.
Every year, LifeStraw responds to as many natural and humanitarian disasters as possible, to help ensure access to safe drinking water in the immediate aftermath of the crises and during long-term recovery efforts.
In 2023, through product donations and humanitarian sales with dedicated partners, we’ve responded to crises across ten countries. Below are a few highlights:
Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria
On February 7, two earthquakes (magnitudes 7.8 and 7.5), struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria – followed by tens of thousands of aftershocks. The quakes killed nearly 60,000 people, displaced millions, and destroyed critical infrastructure. Syria’s ongoing complex humanitarian crisis has exacerbated the situation in that region.
To date, LifeStraw has donated 500 filters and purifiers to Türkiye, and 1,600 to Syria – reaching over 13,000 people with safe drinking water.
Cyclone Freddy in Malawi
In March, record-breaking storm Cyclone Freddy tore through southern Malawi – triggering devastating mudslides and flooding that killed more than 400 people and left over 90,000 displaced from their homes. Freddy caused widespread destruction, including to local water and sanitation systems.
In partnership with several local organizations and churches, we donated and distributed 85 filters and purifiers to areas where families are sheltering, reaching over 6,000 people with safe drinking water.