Dispensers for Safe Water
Chlorine dispenser infrastructure for clean drinking water in rural sub-Saharan Africa
Our editorial assessment
The Dispensers for Safe Water programme is a masterclass in cost-effective public health design. By placing free chlorine dispensers at the point where people collect water — rather than distributing bottles of chlorine to households — the programme leverages social norms and convenience to achieve adoption rates far higher than alternative water treatment approaches. At roughly $0.50 per person per year, it is one of the cheapest health interventions in existence. Multiple RCTs confirm that chlorination at the point of collection reduces diarrheal disease by 30–40%. The programme has served over 4 million people and continues to expand.
The problem they're solving
Diarrheal disease kills over 500,000 children per year globally, and contaminated water is a primary cause. Point-of-collection chlorination is cheap, effective, and scalable — and the dispenser model achieves far higher sustained usage than household-level water treatment.
About Dispensers for Safe Water
Evidence Action's Dispensers for Safe Water program installs chlorine dispensers at water sources across Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi.
Where your dollar goes
What your donation could do
Your $100 ≈ 66 people with clean water for 1 yr
Illustrative estimate based on figures this organisation publishes about its own programs — not a statement from the charity itself. Actual impact varies by program and year.
What donors say about Dispensers for Safe Water
Donors signed in with Google can rate Dispensers for Safe Water from one to five stars and share a short review of their experience — whether as a donor, volunteer, or beneficiary. Community ratings are displayed as their own criterion alongside our editorial metrics; they never alter the editorial 0–100 score.
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How this score was produced
The Charity Ranking score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. The community rating shown above is a separate signal contributed by signed-in donors; it is displayed alongside our criteria but never feeds into the editorial score. Read the full methodology →