50 MORE TO COME THE YEAR AHEAD PROMISES TO BE FULL OF EVEN MORE EXCITING CHANGES AT ACTS FOR WATER. The rate of change these days is tremendous and at times overwhelming. It feels like our world has gone through more monumental shifts these past three years than the decade that preceded it. One of the things that has not changed however is this community’s generosity and commitment to caring for those in need. This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary as an organization! This puts us into a very tiny percentage of charities in Canada. For over 50 years now, you have been committed to caring, responding, and showing practical love and compassion to those around you through us. Thank you. This Annual Report shows only a snapshot of the past year (and what a year it was!), but what’s most important is that it’s placed within the context of 50 years worth of impact and change, and 50 more to come. The year ahead promises to be full of even more exciting changes at Acts for Water. We’re exploring ways to layer in more entrepreneurial training for our communities so that once they have clean water, they can grow in skills and training to be able to increase their income and improve hygiene health. We’re looking at partnerships as a key way to scale our impact to tens of thousands more people, and we’re continuing to ask the question: how can we do this work more sustainably? Because of your consistent commitment to responding with generosity, we have been able to do more than ever expected - thank you. I hope you find this report a deep encouragement.
Jeff
Jeffrey Golby | CEO
BECAUSE OF YOU GIVING IS NOT JUST ABOUT MAKING A DONATION, BUT ABOUT MAKING A DIFFERENCE. We are excited to say that over the past 12 months, our team has been able to achieve positive outcomes in the services we provide to the communities in need because of you! Your donations have significantly contributed to the financial health of ACTS and have directly assisted our communities to reduce the burden of water poverty. Thank you for your generosity throughout this time!
Richard
Richard Musinguzi | Director of Field Programs ACTS Uganda
42
Tap Stands flowing clean water
1,110
Households received water access & hygiene training
40
Safe & clean toilets for students
604
Handwashing stations constructed
7,000
People drinking sweet, clean water
Your generosity this year led to
252,000 LITRES
of clean water flowing daily.
A CELEBRATION 3 YEARS IN THE MAKING THE KICUZI PROJECT BEGAN AS A DISTANT HOPE. ON THE NIGHT OF OUR WATERBASH EVENT IN 2017, WE GAVE A FUNDRAISING PITCH THAT SEEMED HIGHLY IMPROBABLE: INTRODUCING THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE WATER PROJECT IN ACTS FOR WATER’S HISTORY.
And yet, when we felt like we had little faith, you responded in abundant generosity. Each one of the project’s three phases was met with setbacks and challenges, but each time we witnessed the resiliency, commitment, and innovation of our team. This January 12th, our team commissioned the entire project and all its communities - each certified as reaching the highest standards of hygiene and sanitation set by the government! It’s a huge accomplishment, one that we didn’t think possible back in 2017.
Thanks to the generous engagement from all our stakeholders, we overcame together so more than 17,000 children, women, and men living 6,000 feet up in the hills have access to a critical aspect of human flourishing: clean, disease-free water. Not only this, but their schools now have clean, safe bathrooms, and family health is increasing with hygiene and sanitation training! Did you know? Up to 97% of households in recent project communities are now practicing handwashing with soap thanks to supplies and training you have helped provide!
We live in peace now! When I see this clean water that I am pouring into this glass for drinking and how pure it is, I see it as a miracle we never knew would reach our village! - Justine, Beneficiary
A RESILIENT COMMUNITY "The success of our work in Kicuzi was evident in the proud posture and smiling faces of the men and women that showed us their own work. We had trained them, but they took that knowledge and produced something to be proud of. To our surprise, a WASH Cooperative in Kicuzi proudly labeled and displayed their soap and skin products with ACTS branding. They were proud to be part of us. And we are proud to be part of them. This was a highlight for me as I look back at 2021."
- Tracey DeGraaf Director of International Programs
KICUZI BY THE NUMBERS 17,000 people with access to water 86 taps 5 schools, 13 latrine blocks - 65 toilets 15 villages 40 kilometres of pipe $38,000 contribution from the local district $28,000 contribution for latrines from schools & parents 900 new household latrines 600 improved household latrines
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? True life-change and resilience in the lives of many has been witnessed as the team walked alongside the communities of Kicuzi for the past 3 years. It’s seen in stories of people like Edwin from Kota who now has time freed from walking for water to gain education and employment. And Julius from Kogabi who can attend school daily because of access to safe latrines! In Kogorogoro, Godfrey’s hope for a better future is evident in the improved health of his parents and siblings. And over in Kisabo, Florence now collects water without threat of monkeys or punishment for being late to school, and Patricia can bathe in clean water and feel pride as she enters her classroom with friends.
Let's celebrate that
4,313
STUDENTS
now have access to clean, safe latrines at school because of you!
When I imagine the last time I was requesting for clean water and good latrines, I can't believe that this is how quickly my request was honoured! Good and clean water is already at my school and in my community and such beautiful latrines. Thank you so much!
FROM FEAR TO FLOURISHING IMAGINE A 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL, TRAVELING HOURS ON FOOT BY HERSELF FEARING WHAT SHE’D MEET AT THE SWAMP. WHEN WE FIRST FLORENCE, NOT ONCE IN HER LIFE HAD SHE TASTED FRESH, CLEAN WATER.
Living up in the hills of Kisabo Village meant Florence would spend several hours climbing rough terrain with her jerry can to fetch water for her family. It wasn’t the physical effort that made this daily task difficult though. It was the dread that rose in her each time she left the house knowing she’d likely encounter the mischievous monkeys who shared that same dirty water source. By the time Florence returned the water to her family and made her journey to school, her legs were sore, her teachers would often punish her for being late, and she could barely focus on her studies.
She held onto her dreams though, and thanks to this community's generosity on World Water Day, we raised enough funds to extend access to water to this "last-mile" village that had not even been on our team's radar when the original schematics were drawn up! Florence is now flourishing as she looks to a brighter future filled with better health, a solid education, safety, and employment! The extra time she used to spend walking for water is now spent at school, doing homework, and playing with her friends. A life-changing gift.
Thanks to you!!
“Clean water is a right that everyone should have. I give to Acts because it changes people's lives for the better dramatically - every time another tap of clean water is turned on.” - Acts for Water Donor
OUR FINANCES
This has been a record-setting year in many ways: we've seen 18% growth from last year in our annual giving, thanks to you!
RECORD GROWTH
IT TAKES ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU
2,950
DONATIONS MADE THIS YEAR END WATER POVERTY
TOP LINE REVENUE*
$1,027,568 + 18%
IN REVENUE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR
+ 32%
AVERAGE DONOR GAVE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR
542
DONORS ENGAGED IN THE CAUSE
105
NEW DONORS JOINED THE COMMUNITY
LAST YEAR, THE AVERAGE DONOR GAVE
$1,122
THIS YEAR, THE AVERAGE DONOR GAVE
$1,661
Did you know?
Help us reduce the fundraising cost by joining our Source Supporter monthly membership today!
+ 15%
Together, we raised $29,082 this GIVING TUESDAY!!
SOURCE SUPPORTERS
Giving monthly as part of our Source Supporter community is one of the best ways to help the sustainability of our organization.
32
NEW SOURCE SUPPORTERS JOINED IN 2021-22
HIGHEST TOTAL NUMBER OF MONTHLY MEMBERS
215
$67.50
AVERAGE MONTHLY MEMBER DONATION LAST YEAR
AVERAGE MONTHLY MEMBER DONATION THIS YEAR UP 11%
$75.60
*We are an open book. While we’ve included a summary here from our Financial Statements, the full copy can be found on our website https://acts.ca/who-we-are/
Through our We [over] Come Together campaign
40 FAMILIES received a lifetime of clean water thanks to 13 Ambassadors rallying their communities to raise $20,200!!
A GUIDE FOR HELPING COMMUNITIES THRIVE!
OUR VISION IS TO SEE COMMUNITIES THRIVE, STARTING WITH CLEAN WATER. We’ve created a framework for this called our Theory of Change. It identifies the common themes and processes and stakeholders we need to attend to in order to hopefully get the best possible outcome. Why is it called a theory? Because it involves humans. And humans are complex.
We’re continuing to adapt and work with people to improve this theory so we can better serve them. The Theory of Change is a key tool in our toolkit, helping us become a more sustainable, scalable organization, able to provide lasting change.
CLEAN WATER
WHEN IT MATTERS
MOST.
LAUNCHING OFF A 50 YEAR LEGACY It’s our 50th Anniversary this year! You have been a key reason why we are now among the top 10% of Canadian charities, celebrating an incredible milestone. 50 years of partnering together to see communities thrive! What an incredible legacy. Because of the investment so many of you made, we are able to double the number of lives transformed in 2022, to 20,000 people, and hopefully, increase it again in 2023. We’ve already increased our all-Ugandan staff team by 27% to begin scaling from 1-3 teams. But as we stretch, we need your help. Our goal is to continue to move away from a fundraising culture and towards a truer partnership and our big dream is for every person reading this to commit to giving regularly. This way, we can scale our organization, spend less on fundraising, and truly become the most sustainable water charity in the world!! TOGETHER LET'S CREATE A BETTER WAY TO GIVE CLEAN WATER - FOR 50 MORE.
To give monthly, visit: acts.ca To pledge an annual amount, email: jeff@acts.ca
PO BOX 30044 MONCTON PO RICHMOND BC V7E 0A6 P | 778 855 4352 E | info@acts.ca