Sponsor a water project
Partner with ChildFund to build long lasting water infrastructure
Sponsor a water project
When you sponsor a water project, a community gains lasting access to water and everything changes: children can go to school, families stay healthy, and parents have time to build brighter futures.
Thanks to NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) your gift can be multiplied up to 5X.
How sponsoring a water project works
Your gift makes a difference
Every contribution matters. Some supporters choose to fund an entire project component (typically NZ$3,000–15,000), while many others give at a level that’s right for them. Every $1 you donate can be matched up to $4 by the NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade.
You get clear updates
We’ll share stories, photos, and progress reports from our local partners so you can see your gift at work in the Pacific, Asia, and Africa.
You see the results
When the project is complete, you’ll receive a report showing how many people gained safe water, what was built, and how communities are sustaining it.
Match calculator
Every $1 you give can help unlock an extra $4 from MFAT, multiplying your impact up to 5x.
Your gift (NZD)
Total unlocked (incl. match)
$ 15,000
The right solution for each community
No two communities are the same, and neither are their water solutions. That’s why ChildFund works with local partners to carefully consider geography, culture, and need before co-designing the solution.
Solar water distillation units
Solar water distillation units are designed for remote communities where groundwater has become brackish due to rising sea levels and seawater contamination. Using solar power, the brackish groundwater is pumped into the distillation system, which uses solar power to purify water available for households, schools, and local health clinics. This simple, sustainable technology protects children from waterborne diseases and gives families reliable access to safe water, even in places where traditional wells can no longer be used.
Rainwater harvesting
Rainwater harvesting systems use rooftops, guttering and tanks to capture rainwater and store it safely for daily use. These systems are ideal for communities where groundwater is limited, unsafe, or quickly becomes contaminated. By providing clear water for cooking, washing and hygiene, rainwater harvesting reduces the burden on families and helps schools, clinics and household meet their everyday needs.
Repairing water infrastructure
Repairing broken water systems restores reliable safe water sources for entire communities. Our projects include replacing expensive diesel pump systems with solar powered pumps and installing new pipelines. Once completed, water flows through gravity-fed pipelines to villages, school and health clinics – eliminating long walks to collect drinking water and improving the long-term health of thousands of people.
Sand water harvesting
Sand water harvesting captures and stores water beneath riverbeds, creating a natural underground reservoir that protects precious water from evaporation and contamination. This approach provides farmers with reliable irrigation throughout the dry season, improves food production, and eases pressure on domestic water supplies. It is a highly effective solution for drought-prone areas where surface water disappears quickly.
Climate-resilient water systems
Climate-resilient water systems strengthen a community’s ability to withstand droughts, floods and changing weather patterns. These projects combine infrastructure upgrades - such as rehabilitating irrigation tanks and drinking water systems – with community training to ensure long-term care and management. The result is a reliable supply of safe water that helps families grow food, protect their health, and build a stronger future for their children.
Sponsorship opportunities
No two communities are the same, and neither are their water solutions. That’s why ChildFund works with local partners to carefully consider geography, culture, and need before co-designing the solution.
Solomon Islands
In remote communities of Temotu Province, many children and families still walk long distances to collect water from limited local sources. This can mean children miss school, while parents lose time they could spend earning an income or caring for their families. ChildFund is working to rehabilitate ageing water infrastructure and install a solar-powered system that pumps clean water to reservoir tanks in the surrounding hills. Damaged pipelines will be repaired or replaced, helping safer water flow to homes, schools, and a clinic across 18 villages.
Your impact:
Help bring safer water closer to home for around 3,000 people.
What we’re funding:
- Solar-powered water infrastructure.
- Reservoir tanks, and repaired or replaced water pipelines.
Kiribati
On the low-lying atolls of Kiribati, the ocean is rising - and drinking water is disappearing. Wells are brackish, children drink unsafe water, and sickness is common. ChildFund is installing solar distillation units and rainwater harvesting systems, giving families clean, safe water much closer to home.
Your impact:
Protect children from deadly waterborne diseases and give parents peace of mind.
What we’re funding:
- Solar water distillation units
- Rainwater catchment and other climate-resilient water solutions
- WASH* support in schools and communities (*Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)
Kenya
In Kenya’s drylands, children often go to bed thirsty because the riverbeds are dry. Farmers struggle as crops fail, and livestock die. ChildFund’s sand water harvesting technology stores water beneath the riverbed, providing reliable irrigation and easing pressure on families.
Your impact:
Help irrigate 50 acres of farmland, feed children, and support 200 households - while benefiting 8,000 more through stronger domestic supplies.
What we’re funding:
- New sand water harvesting system in the Muoni Riverbed.
- Irrigation for 50 acres and support for 200 households.
Vanuatu
In Vanuatu, droughts, cyclones, and damaged water systems make safe water difficult for many rural communities to rely on. ChildFund is helping install climate-resilient water systems, while training local committees to maintain them, so families can keep safe water flowing year-round.
Your impact:
Help children and families access safer, more reliable water, even when droughts and cyclones put communities under pressure.
What we’re funding:
- Climate-resilient water systems in rural communities.
- Training for local water committees and water technicians.
Clean water changes everything
Clean water transforms lives. Children stay healthy. Children stay healthy and in school. Parents have more time to work and provide. Communities grow stronger.
And with NZ MFAT’s funding, every $1 you give can be matched with up to $4. Sponsor a water project today and transform a community.
Want to sponsor a water project? Contact us directly
Tanner Skillings
Deputy Director of Fundraising
Prefer an annual donation?
FAQ's - Sponsor A Water Project
Sponsoring a water project means partnering with ChildFund New Zealand to help deliver safe, reliable water through solutions designed with and led by local communities.
These projects go beyond installation. They are part of a broader, long-term approach that strengthens community systems, builds local capacity, and ensures water access is sustained over time.
The cost of a project varies depending on the community and the solution required.
Many projects are supported through contributions of around $15,000 or more, while larger community systems may require a higher level of investment.
We are happy to work with you to identify an opportunity that aligns with your level of support.
Your support helps communities access safe, reliable water while also strengthening the systems that keep it working long term.
This includes improving health outcomes, supporting children to attend school, and building community resilience to climate change. It also involves training, local leadership, and ongoing support so that solutions continue to benefit families for years to come.
ChildFund focuses on long-term, community-led solutions to ensure that access to safe water is reliable and sustainable.
Rather than short-term fixes, we work with local partners and communities to build the skills, systems, and infrastructure needed to maintain and manage water solutions over time. This approach helps ensure lasting impact for children and families.
Projects are identified in partnership with local communities and based on their specific needs, environment, and long-term sustainability.
ChildFund works closely with trusted local partners to ensure each solution is appropriate, effective, and community-led.
Solutions are tailored to each community and may include:
- Solar water distillation systems
- Rainwater harvesting systems
- Spring rehabilitation
- Climate-resilient water infrastructure
Each approach is selected to ensure it is practical, sustainable, and suited to local conditions.
Yes. You will receive updates showing the progress and impact of your support.
This may include photos, stories from the community, and key outcomes once the project is complete.
Thanks to our partnership with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, most of our water projects are supported by co-funding that significantly increases the impact of each contribution.
Where this applies, funding is matched up to 4 to 1, meaning a $5,000 gift can help deliver up to $25,000 in impact.
We would be happy to talk you through current opportunities and how your support can go further.
All projects focus on providing safe water to communities in need.
Funds are allocated based on priority needs identified with local partners, ensuring support is directed where it can have the greatest impact.
We would be happy to talk you through current opportunities and how your support can go further.
Timelines vary depending on the location and complexity of the project.
Some elements, such as installing water systems, can be completed within several months. However, these projects are part of a broader, long-term approach that strengthens community systems and ensures sustainable access to safe water.
This can include community training, system maintenance, and ongoing support, meaning some aspects continue over several years.
We provide updates throughout so you can see both the progress and the lasting impact of your support.
If you are interested in sponsoring a water project, we would be happy to speak with you about current opportunities and how your support could make a meaningful difference.
You are welcome to contact our team, or connect directly with:
Tanner Skillings
Deputy Director, Fundraising
ChildFund New Zealand
Email: tanner.skillings@childfund.org.nz
Phone: +64 21 279 8968