News, Press & Perspectives

Find the latest news and press releases about our work in the water and sanitation sector below. 

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Get Blue_Press release header June 2026[87]
Water.org and Founding Partners Launch Get Blue™ to Bring Water Home™ Through Everyday Actions

June 9, 2026

Join Get Blue™, co-founded by Water.org’s Matt Damon and Gary White, and partners Gap Inc., Starbucks, Amazon, and Ecolab to shop, share, and donate to help end the global water crisis.

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The TODAY Show - Matt Damon, Gary White Talk Global Water Crisis and Solutions

June 9, 2026

Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon joined the TODAY Show to talk about Get Blue and why bringing safe water home for families around the world is within reach. "It's a massive problem but we have solutions," Damon says. Five dollars helps one person get lasting access to safe water or sanitation.

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TIME - Water Will Be the Defining Business Issue of the Decade

Jan. 23, 2026

Water shapes how people spend their time, the choices available to them, and their ability to participate in community and economic life. For the estimated 2.1 billion people who lack access to safe water and the 3.4 billion who lack access to safe sanitation, water dictates everything.

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TIME - Vedika Bhandarkar Believes We Can Solve the Water Crisis in Our Lifetime

May 1, 2025

TIME profiles Water.org President & COO Vedika Bhandarkar as part of Gold House’s A100 List, honoring the most impactful Asian Pacific leaders. Drawing on her 25-year career in finance, Vedika is helping unlock capital and scale smart solutions to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation, driving progress toward a world where everyone everywhere has the resources they need to thrive.

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NextBillion - The Keys to Successful Blue Bonds: How Peru’s Strong Local Lending Systems Are Expanding Water and Sanitation Access

May 26, 2026

For millions of families safe water solutions exist and are within reach — what's missing is affordable financing to pay for them. Water.org's Rocio Cavazos explains how two blue bond issuances are closing that gap for people in need in Peru, and what it took to build the lending systems that made them possible.

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A cyclist and a horse-cart carriage pass each other in a flooded area after heavy rain caused a river overflow, submerging scores of homes in Bandung, Indonesia on March 16, 2025. Timur Matahari—AFP/Getty Images
TIME - The Key to Solving the Global Water Crisis

March 22, 2025

The global water crisis is one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing humanity today. More than 2.2 billion people lack access to safe water, and 3.5 billion lack access to safely managed sanitation. This crisis undermines health and safety, education, and economic opportunity.

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The TODAY Show - Matt Damon, Gary White Talk Global Water Crisis and Solutions

June 9, 2026

Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon joined the TODAY Show to talk about Get Blue and why bringing safe water home for families around the world is within reach. "It's a massive problem but we have solutions," Damon says. Five dollars helps one person get lasting access to safe water or sanitation.

Read more
Water.org and Founding Partners Launch Get Blue™ to Bring Water Home™ Through Everyday Actions

June 9, 2026

Join Get Blue™, co-founded by Water.org’s Matt Damon and Gary White, and partners Gap Inc., Starbucks, Amazon, and Ecolab to shop, share, and donate to help end the global water crisis.

Read more
GQ - Matt Damon Will Do Whatever It Takes to Focus Attention on the Global Water Crisis.

June 9, 2026

For more than 20 years, Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon have worked to help families around the world get lasting access to safe water and sanitation at home. Today, more than 90 million people have access to safe water or sanitation through Water.org's solutions. Now, with the launch of Get Blue, they're inviting everyone to help bring safe water home for millions more.

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NextBillion - The Keys to Successful Blue Bonds: How Peru’s Strong Local Lending Systems Are Expanding Water and Sanitation Access

May 26, 2026

For millions of families safe water solutions exist and are within reach — what's missing is affordable financing to pay for them. Water.org's Rocio Cavazos explains how two blue bond issuances are closing that gap for people in need in Peru, and what it took to build the lending systems that made them possible.

Read more
Decreasing costs, increasing impact

April 15, 2026

Several years ago, it cost $25 to reach one person with access to safe water or sanitation. Then $12.50. Now your donation of $5 will empower someone in need with lasting access to safe water or sanitation and the hope, health, and opportunity they bring. Read how and why, from Melanie Mendrys, Senior Director of Brand & Marketing.

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Global Heroes - It’s Clear: Access to Safe Water Turns Poverty into Possibility

March 22, 2026

On World Water Day, Water.org’s Melanie Mendrys explores how access to safe water transforms daily life—unlocking time, income, and opportunity for families around the world. Through stories from Tanzania and Bangladesh, the piece highlights how small, affordable solutions at home can create lasting change for individuals and entire communities.

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Gary White + Matt Damon on one of the planet's biggest problems

Feb. 24, 2026

Gary White and Matt Damon join Adam Grant at the World Economic Forum in Davos to talk about their approach to problem-solving, handling rejection in high-stakes work environments, forging strong partnerships, and how to solve the global water crisis.

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TIME - Water Will Be the Defining Business Issue of the Decade

Jan. 23, 2026

Water shapes how people spend their time, the choices available to them, and their ability to participate in community and economic life. For the estimated 2.1 billion people who lack access to safe water and the 3.4 billion who lack access to safe sanitation, water dictates everything.

Read more
Axios - Axios House: Leaders talk water access, sustainability and the energy landscape

Jan. 21, 2026

Axios' Amy Harder spoke with Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon about Water.org's new Get Blue initiative, with initial partners Starbucks, Amazon, Gap and Ecolab. They're working to get more companies on board, which is part of the reason for launching the program at Davos, White said. "We're trying to build a movement, really," Damon said.

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CNBC - Water.org Launches New Initiative

Jan. 20, 2026

Water.org CEO on launch of ‘Get Blue’ initiative: There’s a reckoning coming with water. Gap CEO Richard Dickson and Water.org co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White join ‘Money Movers’ to discuss Water.org’s ‘Get Blue’ initiative, sustainability, and more.

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Sustainability Magazine - Get Blue at WEF: Water.org, Amazon & Ecolab’s Water Strategy

Jan. 20, 2026

Water.org has joined with Gap, Amazon, Starbucks and Ecolab to launch Get Blue, a global initiative to help the 2.1 billion people who lack safe water, and the 3.4 billion people who lack safe sanitation, access these essential resources.

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TIME - Highlights From the 2026 TIME100 Dinner

Jan. 20, 2026

Water.org Co-Founder Matt Damon underscored the global water crisis at the TIME100 Davos Dinner, where 2 billion people still lack access to safe water—burdens that fall disproportionately on women and girls, who often miss school or work to collect it. Through Water.org’s WaterCredit solution, which directs 90% of loans to women and maintains a 98% repayment rate, the organization has helped more than 85 million people to date.

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