News, Press & Perspectives

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

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Wall Street Journal - Confronting Water Scarcity in 2026

Jan. 20, 2026

Matt Damon, Co-founder of Water.org, Richard Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of Gap Inc. and Kara Hurst, Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer discuss the "Get Blue" campaign, a major corporate partnership aimed at combatting the global water crisis.

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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 - 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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Impakter - Turning Challenges Into Choices: How Access to Safe Water Empowers Women

March 8, 2025

Access to safe water reshapes daily life — reducing hours spent collecting water and opening doors to education, income earning opportunities, and community leadership. On International Women’s Day, we celebrate women’s achievements and acknowledge the barriers many still face.

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Global Heroes - Women Leading the Way: How Financial Inclusion is Transforming Communities in Mexico

March 13, 2025

Every year, on International Women’s Day (IWD), we celebrate the leadership of women who are creating change in their communities. This IWD, our Regional Director for Latin America, Rocio Cavazos, shares how women are driving solutions to the water crisis in Latin America.

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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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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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Wall Street Journal - Confronting Water Scarcity in 2026

Jan. 20, 2026

Matt Damon, Co-founder of Water.org, Richard Dickson, Chief Executive Officer of Gap Inc. and Kara Hurst, Amazon Chief Sustainability Officer discuss the "Get Blue" campaign, a major corporate partnership aimed at combatting the global water crisis.

Read more
Sustainability Online - Water.org partners with Amazon, Starbucks and others on ‘Get Blue’ initiative

Jan. 20, 2026

Water.org, has announced a global initiative to accelerate access to safe water and sanitation, Get Blue. Unveiled in Davos, the initiative sees Water.org team up with Gap Inc., Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab to seek to align business leadership, consumer engagement and capital to support Water.org’s market-driven solutions.

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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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BusinessChief - How are Global Leaders Tackling Water Scarcity?

Jan. 20, 2026

Amazon, Gap, Starbucks and Ecolab unite for Water.org's Get Blue initiative, mobilising business leadership to tackle the global water crisis.

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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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Wall Street Journal - Gap CEO Richard Dickson on Partnering With Matt Damon on Water

Jan. 20, 2026

Gap CEO Richard Dickson speaks with WSJ Leadership Institute President Alan Murray on the new Get Blue™ initiative with Water.org’s Matt Damon and Gary White, alongside Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab—bringing together consumers and capital to support efforts to expand global access to safe water and sanitation.

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Food&Drink Digital - Get Blue: How Water.org is Promoting Safe Water & Sanitation

Jan. 20, 2026

Water.org has launched Get Blue at Davos alongside global companies, mobilising brands and capital to accelerate safe water access for billions worldwide

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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.

Read more
Water.org Partners with Gap Inc., Amazon, Starbucks, and Ecolab to Launch Get Blue™, Advancing Water.org’s Goal of Reaching 200 Million People by 2030

Jan. 19, 2026

Founding partners will activate products, content, and experiences that help fund access to safe water and sanitation through Water.org’s proven solutions.

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WEF - Why is 2026 the 'Year of Water'? Everything you need to know

Jan. 19, 2026

The world faces a global water cycle off-balance, affecting lives, livelihoods and undermining economic prosperity. Through Water.org's microfinance initiatives, 85 million people around the world can now turn on a tap or safely use a toilet because small, affordable loans gave them access to safe water or sanitation.

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Axios - Water.org’s Matt Damon and Gary White & Axios’ Amy Harder

Jan. 19, 2026

Axios national energy correspondent Amy Harder speaks to Water.org co-founders Gary White and Matt Damon to discuss the organization's announcement of its Get Blue initiative.

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