When you think of sustainability, you might be thinking about thriving forests and recycled products. To us, sustainability means something a little different: programs and solutions that last.

Here at Splash, we are working with urban governments in some of the largest cities in the world to co-create solutions that bring clean water, safe toilets, and hygiene education to kids living in urban poverty.

To sustain a program that ensures kids have access to clean water for the long term, people and systems need to work together, in tandem.

We partner with public schools and local governments to build up knowledge and resources, establish local ownership, advocate for kid-centric standards and programs, and monitor the success of programs for years to come.

It’s not enough to make a toilet beautiful and child-friendly — someone has to keep it that way. From janitors to students to school principals, Splash trains key partners in keeping toilets clean, well-maintained, and functional. For example, we host workshops and supply a cleaning starter kit — cleaning solutions, buckets, mops, brooms, and gloves — to the school maintenance staff, and provide opportunities for them to be recognized by the school for all the important work they do.

Our water filters do tireless work to keep kids safe. Splash ensures their operational sustainability by training school staff on the maintenance of the filtration system and equipping the school with an initial supply of spare parts. We provide technical assistance for two years after installation is complete and encourage schools to call us if they have any problems. We are also designing a system to ensure that there are qualified local service technicians available to provide direct support to schools in the future.

Our hygiene education programs are co-created in each city to ensure they are relevant and reflective of the kids we are reaching. We teach kids about menstrual health, proper handwashing, and keeping each other safe. To make this program last, we help create a Hygiene Club at each school to teach kids how to teach each other about hygiene, health, and taking pride in their school. And we teach teachers how to be strong advisors and advocates for their students.

We ensure that kids are benefiting from improved water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure and compelling hygiene education by monitoring key program components (like water quality) and activities (like kids washing both hands with soap before eating) for two years after the school takes the reins. This data helps us understand our impact while identifying opportunities to improve program design.

Sustainability is a journey, and we are committed to making sure that your donations and the co-investments of local schools and governments create a lasting impact. This means keeping costs down over time, creating community advocates, and shifting norms so that kids know they deserve clean water and good health. By working together, we can ensure kids across the city and around the world have the chance to thrive and realize their full potential — sustainably.