Splash, a Seattle-based nonprofit providing water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions to children in urban Asia and Africa, today announced that Tableau Foundation is committing $1 million to help deliver clean water to 1 million children in India and Ethiopia. The grant was announced at Tableau Conference 2019.
“Our partnership with Tableau Foundation will not only help us reach 1 million kids, helping them lead healthier lives, but it is also transforming how we approach our mission by uncovering reliable, real-time information about the water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure in the schools where we work, ensuring that our solutions are sustainable over the long-term,” said Eric Stowe, Splash Founder and Executive Director.
One year after announcing a $100 million commitment to solving global challenges, this new Tableau Foundation grant will help Splash expand their mission to two of the world’s largest cities – Kolkata, India and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – by 2023. In addition to direct support from Tableau Foundation, Splash will be able to leverage the technology, business, and community partners from Tableau to support the campaign. Splash currently provides water, sanitation, and hygiene programming to 16% of Addis Ababa schools and 19% of Kolkata schools. Improved analytics from Tableau and its partners will help Splash expand their reach and create a working model for both governments and others to replicate across their respective countries.
“We are thrilled to help Splash and its local community and government partners leverage data to solve some of the world’s most complex problems, and ensure that no matter where a child is born, they have an equal chance to grow up healthy and to thrive,” said Neal Myrick, Global Head of Tableau Foundation.
Poor water quality and inadequate sanitation are among the leading causes of disease, especially for children. Where most water-focused organizations are focused on bringing clean water to rural areas, Splash is one of the leading organizations focused on urban WASH, specifically in schools. The United Nations predicts that by 2030, the global population will increase to 8.5 billion, and by 2050, 75% of the world’s population will be in urban cities, with growth centered in developing countries. This explosive growth highlights the urgent need for improving critical water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services and infrastructure.
Splash’s work to improve WASH services in major cities in Asia and Africa supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal Six (SDG 6) to ensure universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for all by 2030. Splash focuses on WASH because 88% of cases of diarrhea worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation or insufficient hygiene. These cases result in 1.5 million deaths each year, most being children. With children up to 14 years of age in developing countries suffering a disproportionate share of this burden, Splash focuses on child-serving institutions. Splash also focuses on kids in schools, as they are access points for influencing parents, families, and communities.
For Splash, this is just the beginning. They believe every child should have access to clean water, hygiene education, and improved sanitation, not just today, but every day.
