Selected again as one of the nation’s best non-profits in which Canadians can confidently invest.
Nov. 4, 2025 – Lifewater Canada, while celebrating its 30th anniversary of drilling and repairing water wells in
Africa and Haiti, has been selected for the SEVENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR as one of Canada’s 10 best charities
in terms of the impact achieved on behalf of donors.
Lifewater has received the Top-10 selection again from Charity Intelligence, an independent organization that
monitors and evaluates the performance of more than 850 Canadian charities. Charity Intelligence posted its
Top 10 list for 2025 today at www.charityintelligence.ca.
In a news release, Charity Intelligence said: “Most charities claim that they ‘make a difference’ in the lives of
those they work with, but it is very difficult for donors to tell how much of a difference any given charity is
making. Charity Intelligence’s rigorous analysis measures this difference, or the impact, charities make to see
how each dollar we give can create the most positive change.”
Charity Intelligence estimates that Lifewater and the other nine charities in the Top 10 list are delivering
average returns of more than $7 for every dollar donated, compared with an overall average among other
Canadian charities of $1.50 for each dollar donated. However, Charity Intelligence has said Lifewater is
generating much more – $11 of impact – for every dollar donated.
“We place a very high priority on being cost-effective and accountable to our donors,” says Lifewater Canada
president Lynda Gehrels. “Our overhead costs are consistently low each year, and each completed project –
even a relatively simple pump repair – has a dedicated page on our website where donors can see the tangible
impact of their support through photos, a map, GPS coordinates, technical data, a brief profile of the benefiting
community, and a thank-you letter from the community.”
In addition to including Lifewater in its Top 10 overall impact list, Charity Intelligence again included Lifewater
among a list of the top 10 Canadian charities focused on international relief and development.
“To be selected again as a Top 10 charity in both categories is a wonderful way for us at Lifewater to celebrate
the organization’s 30-year history,” Gehrels said. “When my late husband Jim helped drill our first well in 1995,
I don’t think he ever dreamed we would be having this much impact year after year.”
In its news release, Charity Intelligence said: “Donors give for many reasons, including the reputation of the
charity, overhead costs, charity mass mailings, or giving back to a familiar cause. But if you want your donation
to make a difference, give for impact. The Association of Fundraising Professionals says ‘the only measure by
which Canadians can truly judge whether they should give to a charity is how well it changes the lives of its
beneficiaries.’
“And Imagine Canada, that works with and on behalf of the nonprofit sector, says that a credible assessment
of charities must include impact. Charity Intelligence couldn’t agree more. For donors who want to find
charities that are effectively changing lives, look no further than these Top Impact Charities.”
Gehrels attributes Lifewater’s “Top Impact” success to its highly dedicated drilling and repair teams in Liberia,
Kenya, Nigeria, and Haiti. They are local people – trained and equipped by Lifewater – who are passionate
about providing safe water. Their jobs often keep them away from their families for long periods. “It is a
privilege to support and empower them,” she said.
Thanks to the teams’ efforts, and the generosity of Lifewater donors, the charity has undergone dramatic
growth in the seven years since its first Top 10 selection by Charity Intelligence. Whereas in fiscal 2019
Lifewater completed 459 wells, pump repairs and other water projects, it completed 6,988 in fiscal 2025.
Since that first well in Liberia in 1995, Lifewater has completed more than 23,400 water projects benefiting
more than 9.9 million children and adults.
Besides ensuring each completed water project has a dedicated page on the www.lifewater.ca website,
Lifewater also posts regularly updated data concerning the number of total beneficiaries, local economic
impact, additional hours in school each month for children who no longer need to walk long distances every
day to fetch water, and how many additional hours girls are in the classroom to improve their lives.
Unsafe water is a leading cause of disease and death throughout the world. The World Health Organization
says at least 1.7 billion people (almost one in four) on the planet is drinking water each day contaminated by
feces, and over half a million people (most of them children) are dying each year from diarrheal diseases caused
by contaminated water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene.
Lifewater is responding to this ongoing tragedy by drilling new wells and repairing old ones – including many
installed by other organizations no longer available to provide support. Lifewater also constructs community
toilets, installs hand-washing stations, and provides health and hygiene training.
About Charity Intelligence:
Charity Intelligence researches Canadian charities so donors can be informed and give intelligently. Its website
features free reports on more than 850 Canadian charities. More than 350,000 people use the site annually to
evaluate Canadian charities. Through rigorous, independent research, Charity Intelligence assists Canada’s
charitable sector in being more transparent, accountable, and focused on results.
About Lifewater Canada:
Led by Jim Gehrels until his death in 2020, and by his wife Lynda since then, Lifewater has five part-time and
four full-time employees spread across four Canadian provinces. All work from their homes to help ensure
Lifewater’s administration, fundraising, and salary costs stay consistently below 12% of the total budget.
Together, this small team coordinates water projects in Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Haiti. To support Lifewater,
go to www.lifewater.ca/donate.
For interviews or more information:
- Lynda Gehrels, President – lyndagehrels@lifewater.ca or (807) 622-4848
- Jeff Adams, Donor Relations Manager (West) – jeffadams@lifewater.ca or (403) 615-8747
