While the internet has been an incredible source of information, a number of sites are inaccurate and unreliable. Water.Org, however, is one of the few reliable sources out there. The organization was founded in 2009 from the merger of two well-established and trusted institutions – Water Africa and WaterPartners (Water.Org). The fact that the organization is a non-profit institution and whose projects are funded primarily through aid grants, loans, or a combination of the two, means that their information is reliable as they are not inclined to present information tilted for their product for financial gain. The organization has also been around for a while, have a proven track record of reliability and integrity, and is non-partisan in any political engagements.
Water.Org also gives supporting evidence for the claims they present and information they report. For instance, when reporting on the ‘Global Water Crisis: Water and Sanitation Facts,' the organization gives evidential statistical figures for their claims such as 663 million people lacking access to clean and safe water and a third of the global population living without access to toilet services. The site also reports and substantiate the allegation that more people have mobile phones than they do toilets (Water.Org). The organization also provide adequate sources and explanations for their evidence. For example, the Foundation reports that women and children spent approximately 125 million hours per day collecting water. In support of such allegations, the site provides adequate source material from which such statistics are extracted as well as supporting analysis of such data. Notable sources referenced in the site include World Health Organization (WHO) and relevant reports by UN-HABITAT, UNESCO, and UNICEF, just to name but a few (Water.Org).
The mission of the organization is to bring water and sanitation to the world by breaking down the barriers that exist between people and access to clean, safe water and sanitation (Water.Org). Some of the workable solutions the organization uses to achieve its mission are the WaterCredit and the New Venture Fund initiatives (Water.Org). The WaterCredit Initiative is a microfinance tool in the organization’s WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) sector that applies smart thinking in addressing the global water crisis. It works by enabling the world’s poor small loans for household water and toilet connections (Water.Org). Launched in 2011, the New Ventures Fund is Water.Org’s innovation designed to address the underlying causes of water crisis such as participation in the cause, accountability, and transparency, as well as the lack of capital (Water.Org).
Today, most internet users can not only tell the difference between sites (specifically those that ‘works’ and those that ‘does not work’) but can also articulate reasons why such sites do or do not succeed in meeting their objectives. Two such great sites are the Water.Org and CharityWater.Org. Even though these websites show similarity not just as organizations doing fantastic work but also in their web design and presentation, they also differ in that aspect in several ways. In a manner in which the two sites are similar, include having a clear purpose and easy panels for navigation. Firstly, both Water.Org and CharityWater.Org have homepages with specific calls for fundraising campaigns and support for their objectives. Aside from the targeted landing pages, both sites having social sharing platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr just to name but a few. Secondly, the easy navigation panels of the two websites are complemented by uncluttered web design and inspirational photography and testimonials.
However, like any other sites, Water.Org and CharityWater.Org show some differences in both the design and appearance. First, while a greater percentage of the CharityWater.Org is covered by photographs focusing on the charity’s mission, the Water.Org website lack such visual coverage (Charity Water). Second, the CharityWater.Org homepage shows the organization’s financials while the Water.Org homepage does not offer such information. At the bottom of the charity website portal, there is the statistics button that direct to the organizations work statistics, calls for action and support (Charity Water). Furthermore, unlike in the Water.Org internet site, the explainer video of the Charity website explains and lets the page viewer acquaint with the organization’s mission quickly (Charity Water).
Based on the financial information provided by the charity navigator site, Water.Org and charity water when compared to other foundations can be said to be effectively using their donations to meet their mission objectives. The Water.Org, for instance, has an overall score of 95.38 out of a possible 100 points. It has a significantly higher financial and accountability and transparency rating of 94.84 and 96.0 respectively (Charity Navigator). Similarly, the charity water organization also have a positive rating. Its overall score is 96.98 and 95.74 and 100 (out of 100) for the financial and accountability and transparency respectively (Charity Navigator). These statistics not only show that the two organizations are trustworthy but also indicate that the two charities are using their donations effectively. These figures also dispel the doubts of donor fund misuse and legitimizes the charity works of the organizations. Such superior data also inspire hope to the donor giving assurance that every dollar amount donated will support the intended water projects. There is no greater barrier to charity works than the suspicion of donor organizations and individuals that their donations are misplaced or misused. This suspicion is compounded when the donors feel that the donated money are used in funding other projects rather than channeled towards the causes they are passionate.
Works Cited
Charity Navigator. "Rated charities." Charity Navigator. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2016. <http://www.charitynavigator.org/>.
Charity Water. "Why Water? Impact of the Global Water Crisis." Donate - Give The Gift Of Clean, Safe Water. N.p., 2016. Web. 5 May 2016. <http://www.CharityWater.Org/whywater/>.
Water.Org. "Safe Water." Water.Org. N.p., 2006. Web. 5 May 2016. <http://Water.Org/>.
