About Wherever the Need, and our projects:
Wherever the Need (WTN) is a UK registered charity (No. 1070826), offering a new look at giving and supporting.
It is our priority to implement projects that will directly benefit individuals over the long-term in the most efficient way possible (‘direct action’). This enables sponsors of the charity to respond specifically to the needs of local people (rather than indirectly through Governmental or large Non-Governmental Organisations) thus enabling, where wished, a connection to be established between those making the donation and those benefiting from it.
As a charity, WTN focuses on a holistic approach in the use and provision of water, eco-sanitation, and the development of sustainable livelihoods.
In its simplest form, WTN provides clean drinking water and sanitation to human beings, and where possible extends the supply of water to livestock, crops and trees. In tandem with the provision of water and sanitation, WTN has responded to the building of houses and community centres in areas stricken by disaster (read more: Sri Lanka-hyperlink). All projects are approached in the most environmentally sensitive manner possible to further the Trustee’s aim to safeguard the planet.
The charity began in 1997, and became a registered charity the following year. We began by delivering aid to the Chernobyl region in Ukraine, and later to the Balkans. In 2000 we turned our attention to HIV/AIDS stricken Africa. Over time, we began to identify that the underlying problem facing many of the people we were helping was a shortage of clean water and toilet facilities, and the inevitable onset of intestinal problems and debilitating disease.
The focus of our projects therefore turned to providing long-term water supplies, safe sanitation and irrigation systems over many parts of the world. This is evolving even further to incorporate ways of using water to benefit the environment as a whole, i.e. adopting a holistic approach whereby water can benefit people, livestock, crops and local habitat.
An integral part of this holistic approach is the development and provision of eco-sanitation toilets. WTN is now committed to promoting the use of eco-san, which not only provides safe sanitation, but also helps to protect the water supply from becoming contaminated. The fertiliser produced can be put back onto the land, to enhance the quality and nutrition of crops and vegetables grown within the local community (read more: download a PDF on eco-sanitation-hyperlink). This work will include education on how vital the earth’s infrastructure is at all levels of life, and how these environmental values can be truly empowering, and become part of day-to-day living.
For detailed information on our current projects, please click on the country or regional links on the right hand side of this page.