My name is Scott Miller, and I help charity: water’s local partner organizations measure the effectiveness of their work. As part of my role, I'm always looking for evidence that helps us ensure that our interventions (and your donations) are truly making a difference in people's lives.
We’ve long measured things like how many people have access to safe water, how far they walk to get it, or whether that water contains harmful bacteria. But we are also asking ourselves another question: how do we measure the impact that clean water has on people’s daily lives?
Like the mother who worries each night about whether there will be enough water for her children the next day. Or the feeling of shame that comes when a family struggles to maintain basic hygiene because of an unreliable water source.
Our latest research, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PLOS Water, demonstrates that a new tool called the Water Insecurity Experiences (WISE) Scales can detect meaningful changes in people's experiences with water.
The study followed water interventions in rural Nepal and urban Sierra Leone, and found something remarkable: As safe water access improved, households became more water secure, and experiences like worry, anger, and shame fell dramatically.
This kind of insight is crucial. It shows that your support isn’t just building infrastructure — it’s helping restore dignity, security, and peace of mind. Now, we have the tools to measure that impact and improve our programs more than ever before.
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