For years, the residents of Mundanya Village in Manyinga District faced a harsh reality—children and families risking their lives fetching unsafe water from the crocodile-infested Kabompo River. Safe drinking water was a distant dream, and poor sanitation hindered their health and well-being.

This article is a powerful story highlighting how a modest intervention, a personal plastic cup, greatly improved hygiene, hydration, and learning conditions in four schools in the Lualaba province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It recounts the longstanding lack of potable water at Amani Primary School in Mutshatsha and the transformative impact of a borehole installed in 2022, which gave over 1,600 students access to clean water. However, without drinking containers, students were still unable to hydrate safely and effectively. In early 2025, a donation of 3,625 plastic cups across four schools allowed students to drink water hygienically and comfortably. This simple addition significantly reduced water waste, improved hygiene, and helped students stay focused in class. The initiative, part of World Vision’s Gifts-In-Kind (GIK) program, illustrates the profound impact of addressing overlooked details in development work.

This report covers the fourth year of our Global WASH Business Plan (fiscal years 2021-2025).

11-year-old Aurora's life changed after World Vision built a borehole near her home in the north of Mozambique, eliminating her daily hour-long walk for unsafe water. This improved her school attendance and the community's access to clean water for better health and farming. Serving 400 people, this project is part of a larger WASH program that has positively impacted over 14,700 individuals in the region.

An estimated 21 million people will water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance in 2025. World Vision Afghanistan's WASH sector addresses these needs in remote villages of targeted four provinces.

Menstrual hygiene remains a significant challenge for many girls and young women in Zambia and across many parts of the world. Limited access to affordable, hygienic menstrual products often leads to feelings of embarrassment, stigma, and even school absenteeism during periods. In some communities, cultural taboos and misinformation further compound the problem, making it difficult for girls to manage their menstruation with dignity and confidence. As a result, many girls miss out on crucial days of learning, affecting their education and overall well-being.

FY 24 Impact: World Vision Afghanistan worked across 34 districts and more than 3,200 villages across Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Faryab, and Nangahar provinces, delivering critical assistance to over 1.2 million people, nearly half of them children. Read the full report.

This article highlights the impact of projects implemented thanks to the Chosen initiative. The Karawa AP, a beneficiary of this initiative, now has access to a clean water supply program, which has significantly reduced cases of disease and decreased the distance that women and children had to travel to fetch water, a much longer journey just a few years ago. Thanks to the support of sponsors, waterborne diseases have decreased, and children can now thrive.