Selected again as one of the nation’s best non-profits in which Canadians can confidently invest
Nov. 12, 2024 – For the sixth year in a row, Lifewater Canada has been included among Canada’s 10 best charities in terms of the impact achieved on behalf of donors.
The Ontario-based charity that drills and repairs water wells in Africa and Haiti received the Top-10 selection again from Charity Intelligence, an independent organization that regularly monitors and evaluates the performance of more than 800 Canadian charities. Charity Intelligence posted its Top 10 list for 2024 today at www.charityintelligence.ca.
On its website, Charity Intelligence says: “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 actually make to see how each dollar we (as donors) 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 all Canadian charities of $1.50 for each dollar donated. However, Charity Intelligence says Lifewater is generating much more – $11 of impact – for every dollar donated.
“On behalf of our donors, we at Lifewater place a very high priority on cost-effectiveness and
accountability,” says Lifewater Canada president Lynda Gehrels.
“That’s why our overhead costs are consistently well below 10% each year, and why 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 rated so highly by Charity Intelligence year after year is a testament to the highly dedicated, life-changing work of our drilling and repair teams in Liberia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Haiti,” Gehrels said. 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 them.”
Thanks to these overseas teams’ efforts, and the generosity of its supporters, Lifewater has undergone dramatic growth in the six years since its first Top 10 selection by Charity Intelligence. Whereas in fiscal 2019 Lifewater drilled 93 new wells, it drilled 421 in fiscal 2024; and whereas it repaired 353 hand pumps in fiscal 2019 (so older wells could produce safe water again), it repaired 4,367 in fiscal 2024.
In total, Lifewater has completed more than 18,000 water projects that have benefited almost 8.5 million children and adults so far.
As Lynda Gehrels noted, each completed water project has a dedicated page on the www.lifewater.ca website with photos, GPS coordinates, information about the benefiting community, and a thank-you note from community leaders – so donors can easily see what impact their support is achieving.
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 800 Canadian charities. More than 500,000 Canadians 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:
Lifewater Canada has been headquartered in Thunder Bay, ON, since its inception in 1997. Led by Jim Gehrels until his death in 2020, and by his wife Lynda since then, Lifewater has four 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 10% 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
For photos:
- Jeff Adams, Donor Relations Manager – jeffadams@lifewater.ca or (403) 615-8747
