FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2025

Splash Bets Big: A $70M Project to Transform Kids' Lives in East Africa is Anchored by a Transformative $40 Million Investment

Major Commitment to Clean Water, Menstrual Health, and Safe Sanitation in Schools Across Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia

Splash is proud to announce a landmark $40 million investment, anchoring its $70 million fundraising goal for Phase II of Project WISE (WASH in Schools for Everyone). This transformative commitment will accelerate Splash’s mission to provide clean drinking water, dignified menstrual health resources, safe sanitation facilities, and hygiene education to children in public schools across eight cities in Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia through deep collaboration with national and local governments.

Reliable access to water and sanitation directly impacts students’ health, school attendance, and educational outcomes. And by normalizing menstrual health, schools become safer and more inclusive spaces—especially for girls—where all students can thrive without stigma or barriers.

“At a time when politics has turned our sector upside down,” said Eric Stowe, Splash’s founder and CEO, “this gift is a bet on kids from resource-poor neighborhoods of unimaginable density, size, and complexity. We’ve shown our model works in multiple cities across Africa and Asia, and with this investment, we’re ready to scale our cost-effective, durable, and impactful approach—alongside committed government partners—to reach millions more kids over the next five years.”

Since 2007, Splash has delivered clean water and safe sanitation to more than 1.1 million children daily in some of the world’s poorest urban communities across Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. With a focus on scale, Project WISE is designed as a replicable blueprint for achieving citywide access to water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health (WASH+M) in public schools by working with government stakeholders from day one.

From the start, Splash has partnered with child-serving institutions like schools and orphanages, viewing them as key leverage points for long-term systems change. Unique in the international development sector, Splash works toward its own obsolescence—training and supporting local partners who increasingly lead implementation as Splash transitions out.

Project WISE aims to achieve sustainable, citywide coverage through strong co-investment and leadership from national and local governments. This $40 million anchor gift marks a major milestone, bringing Splash significantly closer to its $70 million goal—but there’s still important ground to cover. The opportunity is now open for additional donors and stakeholders to join this bold public-private collaboration.

“Our dream,” Stowe continued, “is universal school-based coverage—not to see Splash in every school. If we’re still needed, then we haven’t solved the problem. With governments co-investing and donors like this stepping forward, we’re on a path to achieving our goal. Now we need others to stand with us and invest in these kids.”

Splash invites philanthropists, institutions, and supporters to help build on this remarkable gift—and to be part of transforming the lives of millions of children across southern Africa.

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About Splash
Splash is a nonprofit organization working to ensure children living in urban poverty have the resources they need to thrive. We design and implement child-focused water, sanitation, hygiene, and menstrual health (WASH+M) solutions in partnership with governments in some of the world’s largest cities. Our goal: demonstrate what works, build local capacity, and transition ownership to local partners for long-term sustainability.

Founded in 2007, Splash has worked in eight countries and served over one million children worldwide.

Media Contact:
Lily Young, Senior Marketing and Communications Manager
media@splash.org