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The Worth of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World's Greatest Challenge
From the founders of nonprofits Water.org & WaterEquity Gary White and Matt Damon, the incredible true story of two unlikely allies on a mission to end the global water crisis for goodOn any given morning, you might wake up and shower with water, make your coffee with water, flush your toilet with water—and think nothing of it. But around the world, more than three-quarters of a billion people can’t do any of that—because they have no clean water source near their homes. And 1.7 billion don’t have access to a toilet. This crisis affects a third of the people on the planet. It keeps kids out of school and women out of work. It traps people in extreme poverty. It spreads disease. It’s also solvable. That conviction is what brought together movie actor Matt Damon and water expert and engineer Gary White. They spent years getting the answer wrong, then halfway right, then almost right. Over time, they and their organization, Water.org, have found an approach that works. Working with partners across East Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia, they’ve helped over 40 million people access water and/or sanitation.In The Worth of Water, Gary and Matt take us along on the journey—telling stories as they uncover insights, try out new ideas, and travel between the communities they serve and the halls of power where decisions get made. With humor and humility, they illuminate the challenges of launching a brand-new model with extremely high better health and greater prosperity for people allover the world. The Worth of Water invites us to become a part of this effort—to match hope with resources, to empower families and communities, and to end the global water crisis for good. All the authors’ proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Water.org.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2022
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1305 people want to read
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April 12, 2022A very readable book about a very important subject.
July 15, 2024
A fascinating insight into the long-term efforts of Gary White and Matt Damon to make Water.org an effective non-profit organization with the goal of solving the water crisis within our lifetime. The expression “water crisis” refers to the fact that 700 million people don’t have access to clean water, and about 1,7 billion people need to make various efforts every day in order to access clean water, from walking for 3 hours to working all day just for that purpose.
Central to the effectiveness of this organization is the use of microfinance methods to lend “water credit” to people in these countries, as opposed to the “traditional” method of building wells, which has never been very effective.
Water.org today is ranked very highly: the charity's overall score is 98% on “charity navigator”.
The actual activity of Water.org is not easy to immediately understand and to explain: they work with “partners” across sectors, which means financial institutions and water service providers, to make sure that local “affordable financing” programs include water and sanitation financing programs. So that’s basically Water.org trying to persuade various local banks to include water-related credit in their low-end finance programs.
Then, what Water.org actually does is (from their website) they “provide technical assistance and share best practices, to develop, implement and scale effective solutions”, which is a bit vague, but it does help in terms of know-how and expertise.
So the key component of their work is the “water credit” financing, which they usually make happen with money from local banks, not their own. But this system DOES produce results.
Here is the link to a recent video where Matt Damon and Gary White talk about Water.org (unsurprisingly, it has only a handful of views):
https://youtu.be/BZ2joSXwtbI?si=lFDFK...
Central to the effectiveness of this organization is the use of microfinance methods to lend “water credit” to people in these countries, as opposed to the “traditional” method of building wells, which has never been very effective.
Water.org today is ranked very highly: the charity's overall score is 98% on “charity navigator”.
The actual activity of Water.org is not easy to immediately understand and to explain: they work with “partners” across sectors, which means financial institutions and water service providers, to make sure that local “affordable financing” programs include water and sanitation financing programs. So that’s basically Water.org trying to persuade various local banks to include water-related credit in their low-end finance programs.
Then, what Water.org actually does is (from their website) they “provide technical assistance and share best practices, to develop, implement and scale effective solutions”, which is a bit vague, but it does help in terms of know-how and expertise.
So the key component of their work is the “water credit” financing, which they usually make happen with money from local banks, not their own. But this system DOES produce results.
Here is the link to a recent video where Matt Damon and Gary White talk about Water.org (unsurprisingly, it has only a handful of views):
https://youtu.be/BZ2joSXwtbI?si=lFDFK...
September 1, 2022
At the time of this writing, 771 million people in the world lack access to safe water, while an even greater number of humanity – 1.7 billion people –lack access to a toilet. An unlikely combination of a water engineer-activist, and one of the most popular Hollywood actors embarked on a quest to remedy the unacceptable deficiency, or even, travesty, that denied a teeming mass of people from accessing the most basic and fundamental necessity of life. Braving skepticism and besting insurmountable odds, this intrepid duo converted crises into opportunities, juxtaposed innovation with invention and unrelentingly made the issue of resolving the water crises a personal passion before succeeding in getting accessibility to water to more than a whopping 40 million people all over the globe. Yet, they are the first to acknowledge that their mission is not even close to completion.
“The Worth of Water” is the story of how Gary White and Matt Damon embarked on an extraordinary mission to change lives of people whose predominant activity every day lay in trudging miles – braving inclement weather – to draw a few containers of water to carry on with their basic needs such as cooking and bathing. Meeting at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2008, in a humongous hangar redesigned into a meeting space for social entrepreneurs, White and Damon pledged to bring a change to the segment of the population that needed it the most.
Blending the tenets of microfinance as initially instituted by Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank initiative in Bangladesh (whereby hundreds of thousands of women were empowered and thereby unshackled from the perniciousness of poverty), – interestingly Yunus himself expressed skepticism at the role that could be played by Micro Finance Institutions in lending for water and sanitation – and venture philanthropy, White and Damon using their organisation Water.org and funding arm, Water Equity, provided ‘loans’ to people who were constrained from having sustained access to water and who were forced to spend a predominant chunk of their income “procuring water” from water tankers and other sources operated by unscrupulous middlemen and rentiers. These loans, as meagre as $137 transformed the lives of the borrowers. A tap that gives constantly and without complaint perpetrated a virtuous cycle. Girls who were forced to abandon schools began topping classes, women liberated from the stress of scouring water became self-made entrepreneurs and the empowered in turn began empowering their brethren by ‘sharing’ their tap, hence extrapolating the virtuous cycle.
The loan repayment record is jaw dropping. Out of the 43 million people who received micro loans to enable water connections to their houses, 99% of the loans were repaid, and 88% of the loan receivers were women.
Damon recounts a very interesting episode where he manifests at the doorstep of the Central Bank of India, the Reserve Bank and goads the authorities to include Water & Sanitation as one of the Priority Sectors to which funds could be lent. Incredibly, he succeeded in his audacious endeavour and now water and sanitation is earmarked as a priority sector to which funds could be lent by various banks across India.
Writing alternate Chapters, White and Damon enlighten readers to certain incredible facts to which a great majority of the people are oblivious to. For example, an unforgivable 50% of water is lost as it winds its way from processing plants and water distribution systems in poor nations. The water crisis the authors aver ought to be tackled by using considering the issue as a ‘market’ norm than a ‘social’ norm. This paradigm shift in thinking is critical because if the subject is treated as a social issue, the reliance would be on philanthropy. Philanthropy like the turn of seasons also evolves depending upon the prevailing mores as well as novelty. Hence water and sanitation might not always be top of the charts for donors. But if treating the water crisis was to be made into an ‘investment’ opportunity with returns mirroring those fetched by the market, then investors would be more willing to place their bet on innovative ideas.
The best wisdom which the author duo impart to potential investors and all those looking to make an impact, is the tenet that water and sanitation projects built WITH the community always prospers whereas similar projects that are built FOR the community may not always take off. For example, a whole horde of wells dug using sophisticated equipment, courtesy USAID are today in a non-functional and neglected state. This is because these wells are constructed and contrived by a trifecta of sophistication – sophisticated equipment, sophisticated engineers and sophisticated ideas. Even a simple malfunction would ensure that a community using the well in say, Nigeria or Uganda is rendered baffled and since there is no way the battery of the same engineers can be flown down to repair the wells, they remain in a perpetual state of disrepair. Working with the community on the other hand, ensures that the people have hands on experience in building the project and hence are in a more advantageous and capable position in terms of repairs and maintenance.
The next time you let the tap water run while having a leisurely shave, please remember the story of Bodamma in Andhra Pradesh, India. A single tap which is worshipped by her – literally with a miniature garland curling around the tap and incense sticks burning in front. Bodamma’s God not just lifted her out of the quicksand of poverty but also set in motion a chain which encompassed within its ambit the virtues of education, employment and hope.
“The Worth of Water” is the story of how Gary White and Matt Damon embarked on an extraordinary mission to change lives of people whose predominant activity every day lay in trudging miles – braving inclement weather – to draw a few containers of water to carry on with their basic needs such as cooking and bathing. Meeting at the Clinton Global Initiative in 2008, in a humongous hangar redesigned into a meeting space for social entrepreneurs, White and Damon pledged to bring a change to the segment of the population that needed it the most.
Blending the tenets of microfinance as initially instituted by Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank initiative in Bangladesh (whereby hundreds of thousands of women were empowered and thereby unshackled from the perniciousness of poverty), – interestingly Yunus himself expressed skepticism at the role that could be played by Micro Finance Institutions in lending for water and sanitation – and venture philanthropy, White and Damon using their organisation Water.org and funding arm, Water Equity, provided ‘loans’ to people who were constrained from having sustained access to water and who were forced to spend a predominant chunk of their income “procuring water” from water tankers and other sources operated by unscrupulous middlemen and rentiers. These loans, as meagre as $137 transformed the lives of the borrowers. A tap that gives constantly and without complaint perpetrated a virtuous cycle. Girls who were forced to abandon schools began topping classes, women liberated from the stress of scouring water became self-made entrepreneurs and the empowered in turn began empowering their brethren by ‘sharing’ their tap, hence extrapolating the virtuous cycle.
The loan repayment record is jaw dropping. Out of the 43 million people who received micro loans to enable water connections to their houses, 99% of the loans were repaid, and 88% of the loan receivers were women.
Damon recounts a very interesting episode where he manifests at the doorstep of the Central Bank of India, the Reserve Bank and goads the authorities to include Water & Sanitation as one of the Priority Sectors to which funds could be lent. Incredibly, he succeeded in his audacious endeavour and now water and sanitation is earmarked as a priority sector to which funds could be lent by various banks across India.
Writing alternate Chapters, White and Damon enlighten readers to certain incredible facts to which a great majority of the people are oblivious to. For example, an unforgivable 50% of water is lost as it winds its way from processing plants and water distribution systems in poor nations. The water crisis the authors aver ought to be tackled by using considering the issue as a ‘market’ norm than a ‘social’ norm. This paradigm shift in thinking is critical because if the subject is treated as a social issue, the reliance would be on philanthropy. Philanthropy like the turn of seasons also evolves depending upon the prevailing mores as well as novelty. Hence water and sanitation might not always be top of the charts for donors. But if treating the water crisis was to be made into an ‘investment’ opportunity with returns mirroring those fetched by the market, then investors would be more willing to place their bet on innovative ideas.
The best wisdom which the author duo impart to potential investors and all those looking to make an impact, is the tenet that water and sanitation projects built WITH the community always prospers whereas similar projects that are built FOR the community may not always take off. For example, a whole horde of wells dug using sophisticated equipment, courtesy USAID are today in a non-functional and neglected state. This is because these wells are constructed and contrived by a trifecta of sophistication – sophisticated equipment, sophisticated engineers and sophisticated ideas. Even a simple malfunction would ensure that a community using the well in say, Nigeria or Uganda is rendered baffled and since there is no way the battery of the same engineers can be flown down to repair the wells, they remain in a perpetual state of disrepair. Working with the community on the other hand, ensures that the people have hands on experience in building the project and hence are in a more advantageous and capable position in terms of repairs and maintenance.
The next time you let the tap water run while having a leisurely shave, please remember the story of Bodamma in Andhra Pradesh, India. A single tap which is worshipped by her – literally with a miniature garland curling around the tap and incense sticks burning in front. Bodamma’s God not just lifted her out of the quicksand of poverty but also set in motion a chain which encompassed within its ambit the virtues of education, employment and hope.
April 4, 2022
Down to earth approach to solving the world's water crisis.
November 9, 2022
This could have been worse. The water and sanitation issue is tremendously important and if this raises awareness about it, then that is a good thing.
Matt Damon is a good storyteller/actor/professional liar. Sometimes he's selling cryptocurrencies on TV; in this book, he's selling a water non-profit. The point here is to convince ordinary people to donate to the non-profit, even though much of the book is spent bragging about how billionaires and huge international corporations are already supporting it. Also, there are some red flags in the book. Despite a focus on toilets in India, the book manages to omit Sulabh (https://www.sulabhinternational.org), which is world-famous for such work. Also, Damon and his co-author namedrop as mentors assorted people and organizations that are problematic in terms of their impact. See The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World
For more about realities around the world:
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Nerd addendum:
It's hard to tell how good the non-profit is. The closest thing I could find to an evaluation on Google or their website was a report that appears to be a summary of internal reports and does not seem to be measuring impact on community access to water and sanitation: https://evidence-portal.water.org/wp-.... I did not spend a long time on this; if I missed some independent evidence-based evaluation of outcomes, please send me the reference. They seem to be very focused on the idea that lending poor people money improves their finances. That's nice, but not really the relevant outcome. And it would be nice if they showed a change in some kind of independent administrative data.
Matt Damon is a good storyteller/actor/professional liar. Sometimes he's selling cryptocurrencies on TV; in this book, he's selling a water non-profit. The point here is to convince ordinary people to donate to the non-profit, even though much of the book is spent bragging about how billionaires and huge international corporations are already supporting it. Also, there are some red flags in the book. Despite a focus on toilets in India, the book manages to omit Sulabh (https://www.sulabhinternational.org), which is world-famous for such work. Also, Damon and his co-author namedrop as mentors assorted people and organizations that are problematic in terms of their impact. See The Idealist: Jeffrey Sachs and the Quest to End Poverty
Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World
For more about realities around the world:
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think
Nerd addendum:
It's hard to tell how good the non-profit is. The closest thing I could find to an evaluation on Google or their website was a report that appears to be a summary of internal reports and does not seem to be measuring impact on community access to water and sanitation: https://evidence-portal.water.org/wp-.... I did not spend a long time on this; if I missed some independent evidence-based evaluation of outcomes, please send me the reference. They seem to be very focused on the idea that lending poor people money improves their finances. That's nice, but not really the relevant outcome. And it would be nice if they showed a change in some kind of independent administrative data.
April 27, 2022
At the end of the book, Matt Damon asks the readers to donate to the cause or, at least, to write about the 'water problem' and share their thoughts about it. I won't be donating any dollars, mainly because Matt, honey, not all of us are American out here; but in regards to the water problem - what is it? What is the first step to tackle it?
The water problem is vast. And because it is vast, it becomes an abstract as it encompasses everything - drinking, energy expenditure, diseases, pandemics, the economy, climate change, female empowerment, job opportunities, education, etc. It touches so many things that talking about the 'water problem' becomes impossible. Gary White mentions in the book how difficult it was during the early days of Water.org to get people to understand what they were trying to do, why it was important, and get them to support the organization. The main issue was that he had twenty minutes to do it, perhaps less than that. This book is not twenty minutes and as both Gary White and Matt Damon address, a book gives them a proper length to explain what they are doing, why it is important, and define the water issue. Do I know what they are currently doing? No. Do I know why it is important? Sure. Can I explain what the water issue is? Nope.
In short, this was a glorified elevator pitch. It got my attention, I became enamored by the idea and I do want to learn more about it and explore more about the issue, but I feel it failed to carry the message they want to bring out. I think Matt Damon says, in the end, he wanted to share the stories of the people who suffer from lack of water access. I had snippets of their suffering, but nothing I had not heard of before, and it was only mentioned in passing. If I had had names and personal stories (other than "she wants to be a doctor, I am sure she is one now"), I would have felt that connection, and I would have been more emotionally invested in the issue. I also feel there's a lot left unsaid. Water.org works mostly in India (or used to, last I looked into them), and had been involved with local rainwater collection efforts (that, in turn, would also ease the reliance on the 'water mafia'). This is not mentioned at all, and I think it's something that not all of us know about and I would have loved to hear more about this; though I do admit hearing about the specifics behind how water consolidates the poor as forever in the bottom was very interesting.
And now, I will go ahead and research that one video Matt Damon talks about at the end of the book. Something by Sarah Silverman?
The water problem is vast. And because it is vast, it becomes an abstract as it encompasses everything - drinking, energy expenditure, diseases, pandemics, the economy, climate change, female empowerment, job opportunities, education, etc. It touches so many things that talking about the 'water problem' becomes impossible. Gary White mentions in the book how difficult it was during the early days of Water.org to get people to understand what they were trying to do, why it was important, and get them to support the organization. The main issue was that he had twenty minutes to do it, perhaps less than that. This book is not twenty minutes and as both Gary White and Matt Damon address, a book gives them a proper length to explain what they are doing, why it is important, and define the water issue. Do I know what they are currently doing? No. Do I know why it is important? Sure. Can I explain what the water issue is? Nope.
In short, this was a glorified elevator pitch. It got my attention, I became enamored by the idea and I do want to learn more about it and explore more about the issue, but I feel it failed to carry the message they want to bring out. I think Matt Damon says, in the end, he wanted to share the stories of the people who suffer from lack of water access. I had snippets of their suffering, but nothing I had not heard of before, and it was only mentioned in passing. If I had had names and personal stories (other than "she wants to be a doctor, I am sure she is one now"), I would have felt that connection, and I would have been more emotionally invested in the issue. I also feel there's a lot left unsaid. Water.org works mostly in India (or used to, last I looked into them), and had been involved with local rainwater collection efforts (that, in turn, would also ease the reliance on the 'water mafia'). This is not mentioned at all, and I think it's something that not all of us know about and I would have loved to hear more about this; though I do admit hearing about the specifics behind how water consolidates the poor as forever in the bottom was very interesting.
And now, I will go ahead and research that one video Matt Damon talks about at the end of the book. Something by Sarah Silverman?
March 15, 2022
I love books that show you a problem and also give you solutions for the problem. This was equal parts grave information with hopeful outcomes and actionable steps to take. It was a short, to the point history of the organization based on first hand accounts of seeing a need and then challenging the reader to do something.
It was a 250 page advertisement for a movement in the best way possible. It worked on me.
I thank Libro.com for the advance copy.
It was a 250 page advertisement for a movement in the best way possible. It worked on me.
I thank Libro.com for the advance copy.
August 17, 2022
Matt Damon is my favorite "liberal privileged ageing suburban dad celebrity." I could listen to him talk about dirt (or it turns out water) all day.
May 16, 2022
4.5 stars. So informative and really made me think about how water touches my life. I definitely take it for granted. And it’s such a basic necessity and a substantial barrier for those who don’t have access - health and time (women fetch and carry water for hours a day in many parts of the world) being some of the greatest factors. How I make a difference?
January 18, 2023
I am very glad to have listened to the audiobook of this. It is narrated by both Gary White and Matt Damon. It was quite eye opening. I had felt I knew at least some about how privileged I am to live in a country where most areas have easy access to water and sanitation. I knew that many areas of the world are not so fortunate. But learning how these two unlikely partners are working to change this was an educational experience. This book was highly informative, explaining how simply donating to have a new well drilled for a village in a third world country is not always the best usage of our funds, simply to make us feel better. I highly recommend this book.
April 20, 2023
"When the well's dry, we know the worth of water." -Benjamin Franklin
This book was so eye opening! I can't imagine spending every day walking hours to a water source and then carrying it home to your family and still not having enough for your basic needs. The lack of clean water is one of the biggest detriments to female education worldwide. Some people literally have "water wives" just to walk to and from water. 😲 This book really hit home for me the idea that we need to change the way we look at charity and rather than just mindlessly throwing money at problems, we thoughtfully invest and assist in people and communities that can use their knowledge and capabilities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Well worth the read. Also, I am highly jealous that Matt Damon had Howard Zinn as a babysitter. Pretty cool!
This book was so eye opening! I can't imagine spending every day walking hours to a water source and then carrying it home to your family and still not having enough for your basic needs. The lack of clean water is one of the biggest detriments to female education worldwide. Some people literally have "water wives" just to walk to and from water. 😲 This book really hit home for me the idea that we need to change the way we look at charity and rather than just mindlessly throwing money at problems, we thoughtfully invest and assist in people and communities that can use their knowledge and capabilities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Well worth the read. Also, I am highly jealous that Matt Damon had Howard Zinn as a babysitter. Pretty cool!
June 28, 2022
Rarely do we get a book about a problem as daunting and important as the global water (and sanitation) crisis and feel hopeful for the future by the end. White and Damon's book is pitch-perfect: blending humor and life experiences so that the reader actually understands the scope and scale of the problem AND understands how the strategy of microfinance loans is empowering and helping millions of people around the world. They are clear-headed about the challenges that remain and inspire the reader to be a part of that change. Or at least they inspired me. I donated to water.org as soon as I finished the book. They even have a handy QR code at the back.
As the saying goes: water is life.
As the saying goes: water is life.
April 18, 2022
Excellent. I knew of Water.org since 2011, at the time my adulation of Matt Damon (co-founder of Water.org) was at its peak. I’ve made recurring monthly donations since then, but this book has shed even more light onto the water crisis, making me want to be involved even more. It is so well written and gets to the point with the important facts, making me feel the urgency to address this crisis. Highly recommend.
June 10, 2022
I felt like this is too complex of an issue to distill into such a short book, but it was a good beginning! I didn’t love some of the autobiographical elements and honestly got a little bored. Would have loved to hear some more first-hand stories.
July 27, 2024
A breezy read from a team of people passionate about solving the water crisis in the world, which covers both drinking water and waste sanitation. This book landed on my radar when it was published as part of JPMC’s 2024 Summer Reading List, and it is always inspiring to read about people pursuing a cause they are passionate about, and doing something to make other people’s lives better. Rather poignant as I no longer feel like my passionate 22/23 year old self regarding education and financial inclusion.
As Clinton puts it below: What is my assignment? I hope to find it before we start a family and parenthood becomes the main and only assignment in my life.
Excerpts:
It’s expensive to be poor. […] The prices they're forced to shell out for tanker water are ten to fifteen times higher than what people pay when they're connected to water utilities and water flows from the tap. In Mumbai, water from trucks is fifty-two times more expensive. I've met people who are spending 20 percent of their income on water. For an average American household living on an income of $60,000, that would be about $12,000 a year spent on water.
Microfinance wasn't nearly as powerful a tool for breaking the cycle of poverty as development economists had once hoped. Certain human needs — fundamental needs — have to be served before a person can even make use of an enterprise loan. MFIs, for the reasons I've mentioned, didn't see any role for themselves in helping people meet those basic needs. […] People were using these loans to relieve their most immediate suffering — to buy medicine for a sick child or put food on the table.
Hollywood has its own version: "tent poles," "beat sheets," "slug lines." Whatever industry you're part of, impenetrable language is a kind of gatekeeping. If nothing else, it communicates: "We know a lot about this, and you don't." Which of course is completely true — the experts are always going to know way more than you; that's why they're experts and you, with all due respect, are not. I'm not, either. And I'm okay with that. I'm more than willing to feel less than smart, to ask questions that expose me as clueless or at least a little naïve.
Elites were getting together at that upscale ski resort, talking big about making the world a better place, and then returning to business as usual. "I just see all these people leave here every year full of energy," Clinton said, "wanting to do something and wanting to know there is a place where they can actually go and say, Okay, what is my assignment?”
I was drawn to Gary's modesty. But what really struck me as I sat there talking with him, what really impressed me the most, was his comfort level with failure-his willingness to accept it as an inevitable, and indispensable, part of the process. Not something to be spun or explained away, not something to be avoided at all costs, but something that informs your approach and fuels your success.
The divide between giving and investing seemed to many like an apples and oranges thing, and in our naïveté, we were trying to pitch people on, I don't know, an apple-orange. […] Dan Ariely, argues that each of us lives by two sets of very different norms — and we switch sets of norms depending on the situation. There are social norms, where our instinct is to be giving, to be selfless, to make sure people get what they need. And then there are market norms, where our instinct is to be efficient, to be self-reliant, to get the maximum personal benefit for the minimum personal sacrifice.
[…] Ariely describes how AARP, which wanted to provide affordable legal services to retirees, asked lawyers to help by reducing their rate to thirty dollars per hour. There were no takers. But then AARP changed tactics: it asked the lawyers to offer their services pro bono. Suddenly lots of lawyers offered their services for free. If they didn't want to do the work for thirty dollars an hour, why would they do it for nothing? Because AARP — without knowing it — had taken its request out of the realm of market norms (where it sounded to the lawyers like a terrible deal) and put it in the realm of social norms (where it sounded like a noble use of their time).
[…] Some people said outright: "I do philanthropy with my philanthropy, and I make money with my money."
You can't let yourself feel so burdened by the way the world is right now that you don't push it to become something different. And that if you did keep pushing — if we all kept pushing — then eventually the world would move.
Progress in this work can feel so slow. But when I hear a story like the one my father told me, it also feels fast. In the course of just one generation, water and sanitation can go from something you can't access or afford to something you're able to take for granted.
As Clinton puts it below: What is my assignment? I hope to find it before we start a family and parenthood becomes the main and only assignment in my life.
Excerpts:
It’s expensive to be poor. […] The prices they're forced to shell out for tanker water are ten to fifteen times higher than what people pay when they're connected to water utilities and water flows from the tap. In Mumbai, water from trucks is fifty-two times more expensive. I've met people who are spending 20 percent of their income on water. For an average American household living on an income of $60,000, that would be about $12,000 a year spent on water.
Microfinance wasn't nearly as powerful a tool for breaking the cycle of poverty as development economists had once hoped. Certain human needs — fundamental needs — have to be served before a person can even make use of an enterprise loan. MFIs, for the reasons I've mentioned, didn't see any role for themselves in helping people meet those basic needs. […] People were using these loans to relieve their most immediate suffering — to buy medicine for a sick child or put food on the table.
Hollywood has its own version: "tent poles," "beat sheets," "slug lines." Whatever industry you're part of, impenetrable language is a kind of gatekeeping. If nothing else, it communicates: "We know a lot about this, and you don't." Which of course is completely true — the experts are always going to know way more than you; that's why they're experts and you, with all due respect, are not. I'm not, either. And I'm okay with that. I'm more than willing to feel less than smart, to ask questions that expose me as clueless or at least a little naïve.
Elites were getting together at that upscale ski resort, talking big about making the world a better place, and then returning to business as usual. "I just see all these people leave here every year full of energy," Clinton said, "wanting to do something and wanting to know there is a place where they can actually go and say, Okay, what is my assignment?”
I was drawn to Gary's modesty. But what really struck me as I sat there talking with him, what really impressed me the most, was his comfort level with failure-his willingness to accept it as an inevitable, and indispensable, part of the process. Not something to be spun or explained away, not something to be avoided at all costs, but something that informs your approach and fuels your success.
The divide between giving and investing seemed to many like an apples and oranges thing, and in our naïveté, we were trying to pitch people on, I don't know, an apple-orange. […] Dan Ariely, argues that each of us lives by two sets of very different norms — and we switch sets of norms depending on the situation. There are social norms, where our instinct is to be giving, to be selfless, to make sure people get what they need. And then there are market norms, where our instinct is to be efficient, to be self-reliant, to get the maximum personal benefit for the minimum personal sacrifice.
[…] Ariely describes how AARP, which wanted to provide affordable legal services to retirees, asked lawyers to help by reducing their rate to thirty dollars per hour. There were no takers. But then AARP changed tactics: it asked the lawyers to offer their services pro bono. Suddenly lots of lawyers offered their services for free. If they didn't want to do the work for thirty dollars an hour, why would they do it for nothing? Because AARP — without knowing it — had taken its request out of the realm of market norms (where it sounded to the lawyers like a terrible deal) and put it in the realm of social norms (where it sounded like a noble use of their time).
[…] Some people said outright: "I do philanthropy with my philanthropy, and I make money with my money."
You can't let yourself feel so burdened by the way the world is right now that you don't push it to become something different. And that if you did keep pushing — if we all kept pushing — then eventually the world would move.
Progress in this work can feel so slow. But when I hear a story like the one my father told me, it also feels fast. In the course of just one generation, water and sanitation can go from something you can't access or afford to something you're able to take for granted.
January 8, 2023
“We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.”-Thomas Fuller
“Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, M.D. Discoverer of Vitamin C.
In the developed world, we take clean water for granted. In fact, even in the face of abundant clean water, we end up spending hundreds of dollars per year per person on single-use plastic water bottles. But in the developing world, it's a different story. Lack of water resource development has led to shortages and water insecurity as entire villages hunt for ways to bring water into their homes.
Actor Matt Damon noticed the problem on a visit to Africa in 2006. Young girls, tasked with the unpleasant responsibility of finding and carrying large jugs of water from whatever sources they could find, waste most of their days walking and fetching water- missing out on schooling, jobs, and building a life for themselves. From that trip, Damon became an activist in the crusade to bring water to people who need it. He joined with civil engineer Gary White to co-found Water.org in 2009, and together they have written a book, The Worth Of Water, that describes their journey.
This book is an eye-opener, not just on the subject of water, but on how charities work, and how past attempts to help poor people have failed miserably, while an innovative financial scheme touched more lives than any charity ever could have. In the 1980's, the United Nations declared the Water Decade, and developed nations sent engineers to impoverished areas to build wells that would help solve the problem. Many wells were built, but they turned out to be failures.
The entire viewpoint that competent white people must save helpless people of color in the Third World turns out to be bad for both. The wells dug in the 1980's began to fail and break down, which is normal with any kind of infrastructure. But the engineers had packed up and moved on, leaving behind scant notes of how to maintain the wells nor proper parts and materials. Without that support, the locals watched helplessly as nearly half of the wells failed. This is not the first unintended consequence of well-meaning attempts by developed nations. Two other projects- the One Laptop Per Child program in Africa and the Anti-Malaria mosquito nets also had serious problems. The cheap laptops failed to take hold because of lack of tech support and awareness of local customs. The chemically treated malaria nets ended up poisoning people who used them instead for catching fish.
Water.org looked at a different model to help those who wanted it- microloans. It turns out that one of the biggest things holding many poor people back was access to capital and loan money. The few loans that they might qualify for were charging exorbitant rates of over 100% and considered unaffordable. Microfinance began as an experiment and it spawned an entire industry. Unlike regular loans, these loans were for modest amounts and had frequent repayment schedules. People were able to use these loans to help themselves get access to water without any other help. We sometimes see those in poverty as helpless or defective, but within every community there are people eager to work hard and improve their lives- they just need access to capital. The amazing things I found out about this book is that most of these loans get paid back on time- over 95%! WaterCredit was born as a way for people of modest means to get low-interest loans for their small projects.
Damon and White take turns throughout the book telling their stories about dealing with governments, wealthy foundations, and success stories (over 40 million people helped so far). One of the most interesting ideas from the book involves something called Venture Philanthropy. The amount of dollars donated to charity by big foundations is substantial, and does a lot of good, but it wasn't nearly enough to fund what Water.org wanted to do. Plus, they found that charity giving is subject to whims and trends, and while water might be popular one year, other charities become more urgent and popular in other years. They needed access to the huge amounts of capital sitting in investment accounts all over the world. So they came up with WaterEquity- a fund that holds money as investments, pays modest returns, and uses its capital to finance more loans.
More money is tied up with investing than anywhere else, and the investing world is guided by one principle- maximize returns always. But perhaps things are changing a bit with that. Divestment of unethical companies has changed the calculus, and some people are getting uncomfortable knowing that their nest eggs are being used for weapons of war, to destroy the environment, or to exploit workers unfairly. The venture philanthropy movement is just an extension of divestment- be willing to accept somewhat smaller returns while doing good. You still get to keep your money, and it still grows some- just not as much as if you went all-in on the entire market. People are expecting more from Wall Street, and the 2008 financial crisis may have had a part in that. Loaning poor people money at lower rates to improve their water and sanitation makes more sense than investing in alcohol, tobacco, and gambling companies.
Damon and White also touch on the unpleasant topic of sanitation, which is directly tied to water availability. During the Covid epidemic, many hospitals in poorer countries had limited access to clean water and soap, meaning they couldn't protect themselves against germs. And the lack of clean sanitation facilities means that many people, especially women, choose to relieve themselves in open fields, where their waste makes it back to the water supply in many cases. Or they resist eating and drinking to avoid having to pee and poop altogether. These microloans are helping to fix that as well.
There isn't much discussion of climate change in this book, which is something that many of us worry about when it comes to water. We can see right now that glaciers are melting while lakes and rivers are drying up as rainfall changes along with the climate. Damon and White do touch on it some, but most of their work is based on the current situation, not the evolving one. Their view is that by improving water access and infrastructure, we become more resilient to the changes that we know are probably coming. And the more we learn about how to access, clean, and transport water, the better it is for everybody. There is a real danger that entire nations could become climate refugees because of water shortages, and we need to take that seriously before it's too late.
The authors are ambitious, and they admit that there's a lot more to do before they can consider the water problem solved. From the 40 million people worldwide that they've helped, they see the need at over 500 million currently. There are three groups that currently need help with water and sanitation resources.
1- The poor but motivated, who need access to capital through microloans to improve their lives, which is the main focus of Water.org currently.
2- The urban slum dwellers, who can't benefit from those loans. In these cases the city water and sewage utilities will need financing help to make larger scale improvements that will bring paying customers to their network.
3- The truly destitute are usually so far away from water sources that no small projects can make much difference. These unfortunates will need to depend on government projects and large charities to survive and get access to clean water.
I learned a lot from this book. I tend to discount Hollywood celebrities who embrace causes while living in mansions as lightweights, but Matt Damon seems like the real deal. This is his mission in life. That, and being Jason Bourne. And Gary White, an engineer who started off by developing water systems in the US, seems perfectly matched to know the ins and outs of what is possible when it comes to water. I recommend this book and their organization.
“Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.” – Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, M.D. Discoverer of Vitamin C.
In the developed world, we take clean water for granted. In fact, even in the face of abundant clean water, we end up spending hundreds of dollars per year per person on single-use plastic water bottles. But in the developing world, it's a different story. Lack of water resource development has led to shortages and water insecurity as entire villages hunt for ways to bring water into their homes.
Actor Matt Damon noticed the problem on a visit to Africa in 2006. Young girls, tasked with the unpleasant responsibility of finding and carrying large jugs of water from whatever sources they could find, waste most of their days walking and fetching water- missing out on schooling, jobs, and building a life for themselves. From that trip, Damon became an activist in the crusade to bring water to people who need it. He joined with civil engineer Gary White to co-found Water.org in 2009, and together they have written a book, The Worth Of Water, that describes their journey.
This book is an eye-opener, not just on the subject of water, but on how charities work, and how past attempts to help poor people have failed miserably, while an innovative financial scheme touched more lives than any charity ever could have. In the 1980's, the United Nations declared the Water Decade, and developed nations sent engineers to impoverished areas to build wells that would help solve the problem. Many wells were built, but they turned out to be failures.
The entire viewpoint that competent white people must save helpless people of color in the Third World turns out to be bad for both. The wells dug in the 1980's began to fail and break down, which is normal with any kind of infrastructure. But the engineers had packed up and moved on, leaving behind scant notes of how to maintain the wells nor proper parts and materials. Without that support, the locals watched helplessly as nearly half of the wells failed. This is not the first unintended consequence of well-meaning attempts by developed nations. Two other projects- the One Laptop Per Child program in Africa and the Anti-Malaria mosquito nets also had serious problems. The cheap laptops failed to take hold because of lack of tech support and awareness of local customs. The chemically treated malaria nets ended up poisoning people who used them instead for catching fish.
Water.org looked at a different model to help those who wanted it- microloans. It turns out that one of the biggest things holding many poor people back was access to capital and loan money. The few loans that they might qualify for were charging exorbitant rates of over 100% and considered unaffordable. Microfinance began as an experiment and it spawned an entire industry. Unlike regular loans, these loans were for modest amounts and had frequent repayment schedules. People were able to use these loans to help themselves get access to water without any other help. We sometimes see those in poverty as helpless or defective, but within every community there are people eager to work hard and improve their lives- they just need access to capital. The amazing things I found out about this book is that most of these loans get paid back on time- over 95%! WaterCredit was born as a way for people of modest means to get low-interest loans for their small projects.
Damon and White take turns throughout the book telling their stories about dealing with governments, wealthy foundations, and success stories (over 40 million people helped so far). One of the most interesting ideas from the book involves something called Venture Philanthropy. The amount of dollars donated to charity by big foundations is substantial, and does a lot of good, but it wasn't nearly enough to fund what Water.org wanted to do. Plus, they found that charity giving is subject to whims and trends, and while water might be popular one year, other charities become more urgent and popular in other years. They needed access to the huge amounts of capital sitting in investment accounts all over the world. So they came up with WaterEquity- a fund that holds money as investments, pays modest returns, and uses its capital to finance more loans.
More money is tied up with investing than anywhere else, and the investing world is guided by one principle- maximize returns always. But perhaps things are changing a bit with that. Divestment of unethical companies has changed the calculus, and some people are getting uncomfortable knowing that their nest eggs are being used for weapons of war, to destroy the environment, or to exploit workers unfairly. The venture philanthropy movement is just an extension of divestment- be willing to accept somewhat smaller returns while doing good. You still get to keep your money, and it still grows some- just not as much as if you went all-in on the entire market. People are expecting more from Wall Street, and the 2008 financial crisis may have had a part in that. Loaning poor people money at lower rates to improve their water and sanitation makes more sense than investing in alcohol, tobacco, and gambling companies.
Damon and White also touch on the unpleasant topic of sanitation, which is directly tied to water availability. During the Covid epidemic, many hospitals in poorer countries had limited access to clean water and soap, meaning they couldn't protect themselves against germs. And the lack of clean sanitation facilities means that many people, especially women, choose to relieve themselves in open fields, where their waste makes it back to the water supply in many cases. Or they resist eating and drinking to avoid having to pee and poop altogether. These microloans are helping to fix that as well.
There isn't much discussion of climate change in this book, which is something that many of us worry about when it comes to water. We can see right now that glaciers are melting while lakes and rivers are drying up as rainfall changes along with the climate. Damon and White do touch on it some, but most of their work is based on the current situation, not the evolving one. Their view is that by improving water access and infrastructure, we become more resilient to the changes that we know are probably coming. And the more we learn about how to access, clean, and transport water, the better it is for everybody. There is a real danger that entire nations could become climate refugees because of water shortages, and we need to take that seriously before it's too late.
The authors are ambitious, and they admit that there's a lot more to do before they can consider the water problem solved. From the 40 million people worldwide that they've helped, they see the need at over 500 million currently. There are three groups that currently need help with water and sanitation resources.
1- The poor but motivated, who need access to capital through microloans to improve their lives, which is the main focus of Water.org currently.
2- The urban slum dwellers, who can't benefit from those loans. In these cases the city water and sewage utilities will need financing help to make larger scale improvements that will bring paying customers to their network.
3- The truly destitute are usually so far away from water sources that no small projects can make much difference. These unfortunates will need to depend on government projects and large charities to survive and get access to clean water.
I learned a lot from this book. I tend to discount Hollywood celebrities who embrace causes while living in mansions as lightweights, but Matt Damon seems like the real deal. This is his mission in life. That, and being Jason Bourne. And Gary White, an engineer who started off by developing water systems in the US, seems perfectly matched to know the ins and outs of what is possible when it comes to water. I recommend this book and their organization.
May 9, 2022
You thought I was going to review a movie, didn't you? Maybe a Matt Damon satire of the new Avatar movie? Well, no. Matt Damon and his longtime water.org partner Gary White (his second bromance) have published a 2022 book called The Worth of Water: Our Story of Chasing Solutions to the World's Greatest Challenge and it's one of the most enjoyable, important books I've read.
I know. Surprised me too that there's a lot more going on behind Damon's great panache. This book certainly sold me on the fact that he's actually become one of the world's experts on the global water crisis.
Heads up. The ending of the book could be considered movie-worthy, or at least documentary-worthy, but they wished to lay out all the information and true stories for us to better appreciate and understand their importance. Smart move, I think.
There's a whole lot of things going on in this book and I'll try to convey at least the most critical.
Bono, the Irish musician, challenged Damon in 2006 to go to Africa and meet one of the millions of impoverished girls who must walk an hour to a well for her family's direst water needs. It doesn't take her as long as many other girls who might take all day to do this daily or every two-day chore. She can still attend some school.
So Damon went and was immediately intrigued. He decided to learn more about the tragic situation that kept very poor people in their poverty and unable to improve their lives and broken wells.
The most important thing he learned, and I hope you'll agree, is that people in low-income countries don't need your charity, for the most part. They need you to invest in them so that they can work to improve their lives.
Damon and White, an engineer working on the problem since the '80s, hooked up ultimately at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in 2008 with the help of their crew members Damon's H2O Africa crew and White's WaterPartners crew. Together they created water.org and Water Equity that has already lifted nearly fifty million people out of extreme poverty so they can work their own businesses, build larger huts, and become much healthier. They pay back in full the microloans.
Note that they talk about the human waste contaminating waterways (no toilets), but fail to mention that farmed animal waste is an even bigger, deadlier problem.
I only gave you a very broad outline of the book and hope you are intrigued enough to check it out. I also hope you'll join me in donating to water.org. It's true that the poor pay back on their microloans for taps and toilets and lots of major companies have invested (Pepsi Co and Stella beer among many more), but our help is also needed.
They use one water metaphor in the last section. They say they need a wave, a wave of people helping to eliminate the problem, which includes making infrastructure available and consistent funding. I learned so much about finance with Damon
Venture capitalists are embracing impact investing more and more. Will you?.
I know. Surprised me too that there's a lot more going on behind Damon's great panache. This book certainly sold me on the fact that he's actually become one of the world's experts on the global water crisis.
Heads up. The ending of the book could be considered movie-worthy, or at least documentary-worthy, but they wished to lay out all the information and true stories for us to better appreciate and understand their importance. Smart move, I think.
There's a whole lot of things going on in this book and I'll try to convey at least the most critical.
Bono, the Irish musician, challenged Damon in 2006 to go to Africa and meet one of the millions of impoverished girls who must walk an hour to a well for her family's direst water needs. It doesn't take her as long as many other girls who might take all day to do this daily or every two-day chore. She can still attend some school.
So Damon went and was immediately intrigued. He decided to learn more about the tragic situation that kept very poor people in their poverty and unable to improve their lives and broken wells.
The most important thing he learned, and I hope you'll agree, is that people in low-income countries don't need your charity, for the most part. They need you to invest in them so that they can work to improve their lives.
Damon and White, an engineer working on the problem since the '80s, hooked up ultimately at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City in 2008 with the help of their crew members Damon's H2O Africa crew and White's WaterPartners crew. Together they created water.org and Water Equity that has already lifted nearly fifty million people out of extreme poverty so they can work their own businesses, build larger huts, and become much healthier. They pay back in full the microloans.
Note that they talk about the human waste contaminating waterways (no toilets), but fail to mention that farmed animal waste is an even bigger, deadlier problem.
I only gave you a very broad outline of the book and hope you are intrigued enough to check it out. I also hope you'll join me in donating to water.org. It's true that the poor pay back on their microloans for taps and toilets and lots of major companies have invested (Pepsi Co and Stella beer among many more), but our help is also needed.
They use one water metaphor in the last section. They say they need a wave, a wave of people helping to eliminate the problem, which includes making infrastructure available and consistent funding. I learned so much about finance with Damon
Venture capitalists are embracing impact investing more and more. Will you?.
October 3, 2022
5 STARS
This short and concise book was excellent. Gary White and Matt Damon share their thoughts and stories about the poor who do not have access to clean safe water. They have been working toward solutions for sanitation and safe water to meet the needs of this crisis for years.
They are honest about the struggles and mistakes made along the way as they tried to bring solutions to an ever increasing problem. I appreciate their candor as they tell the true life stories of some of the poorest people spending enormous amounts of time to carry unsafe water for a day’s needs. The outrageous amount that they must pay to have water delivered (sometimes as high as 20% of their meager income) - the injustice of this burden is astounding.
They have made assumptions and mistakes along the way, own up to them, and attempt new solutions. Definitely will look into supporting this non-profit (Water.org). It was an enlightening book and the changes that they have made over the years has helped but they have a lot of work ahead of them as the climate continues to worsen.
This short and concise book was excellent. Gary White and Matt Damon share their thoughts and stories about the poor who do not have access to clean safe water. They have been working toward solutions for sanitation and safe water to meet the needs of this crisis for years.
They are honest about the struggles and mistakes made along the way as they tried to bring solutions to an ever increasing problem. I appreciate their candor as they tell the true life stories of some of the poorest people spending enormous amounts of time to carry unsafe water for a day’s needs. The outrageous amount that they must pay to have water delivered (sometimes as high as 20% of their meager income) - the injustice of this burden is astounding.
They have made assumptions and mistakes along the way, own up to them, and attempt new solutions. Definitely will look into supporting this non-profit (Water.org). It was an enlightening book and the changes that they have made over the years has helped but they have a lot of work ahead of them as the climate continues to worsen.
October 14, 2025
I really liked this book! Usually we think of the water crisis as running out of clean drinkable water but the majority of the earths people actually don’t even have access to clean water. This book talks through their journey of how they have been able to help support the poor people of the world in these circumstances and it was cool how they were able to enable them by using loans to slowly pay for their water needs. Then since it’s a loan, that money can be used again, once paid off, to help the next person. Donating money you can only use once but using the loaned money creates many more opportunities. It inspires me to try and make a difference in the water crisis!
February 9, 2023
If you know me, then you know issues like the water crisis and climate change weigh very heavy on my heart and I could (and do, if you get me started) talk about it nonstop. I watched the Brave Blue World documentary a couple years ago and up to that point had the smallest understanding about the water crisis across the globe. From then I couldn’t stop thinking about it and have tried to learn more. I thought this book might just be a carbon copy of the documentary but it was so much more! One of the more important books I’ve read.
January 23, 2024
Mais do que história da fundação da Water.org e as dificuldades do activismo (foi interessante saber como o aparecimento do Napster arruinou uma ONG, ou como se tornou viral Matt Damon com uma sanita enfiada na cabeça) o que mais gostei de ler foram as histórias de envolvimento destes dois seres humanos na procura de soluções para um problema de milhares de outros seres humanos. E nunca tinha parado para refletir como a falta de água acentua as diferenças de género. Portanto, livro muito interessante, útil e apelativo.
April 8, 2022
This book brings to life the reality of life without access to clean water and sanitation. It also puts forward proven methods for people to help themselves solve one of their families most basic needs, the lack of water. Reading this book opens your eyes to a massive, seemingly insurmountable, problem and gives hope with realistic results. Read this book and help as you’re able.
November 1, 2025
Readable and fairly interesting even. What they are doing is incredible, and the difficulties in doing it, somewhat surprising, and all the efforts to avoid coming off as condescending white saviors frustrated me a bit—though I can’t tell if it was because it was there at all or because it probably needed to be there.
At any rate, I 100% support their work and love that they’re doing it.
At any rate, I 100% support their work and love that they’re doing it.
April 20, 2022
An educational, easy read. I had no idea of the magnitude of the problem or the challenges with a solution. The moving stories inspired me and reminded me of so many things I have to be grateful for. I am now on the lookout for impact investments.
August 30, 2024
This was a book selected for my work book club. While it is not my genre I did find it very interesting. Access to clean water is a very important subject and really opened my eyes to the struggles some countries have getting access to water.
October 30, 2024
One of the best books I've read this year. Please pick this one up if you're looking for a non-fiction read. Or even if you're not! Just an awesome story filled with optimism for the future, and personal stories from people around the world and how access to water changed their lives.
August 27, 2022
I’m donating! Quite the eye opener. Caused me to think about this problem in a whole new way. Appreciate the work they are doing and recommend this as a read.
June 11, 2022
Thank u ben
June 22, 2022
Interesting info about Matt Damon and his interest in making clean water accessible for the entire world. This is especially important for women and girls because they can spend the entire day getting water for the family and lose all that possible productive work or education time. His organization raises funding for micro loans for individuals to get clean water. Quick read and worth the time, but no earth shattering revelations in this book.
June 13, 2022
This was worth the read just for getting an understanding of "coping costs.". Interesting and informative.
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