The Independent partners with WaterAid for Earth Day 2026
Independent It is partnering with WaterAid to celebrate Earth Day on Wednesday 22 April, directing support to the charity’s ‘Time to Deliver’ campaign, which calls on world leaders to guarantee clean water and sanitation in every health center around the world ahead of the UN Water Conference in December.
Independent Donated £20,000 in advertising to spread WaterAid’s message and reach new audiences to support all of the organisation’s work.
Every two seconds, a woman gives birth in a health facility without clean water, a working toilet or basic hygiene; These conditions are linked to 36 sepsis deaths per day in sub-Saharan Africa, WaterAid’s research shows. Women who develop the condition are 144 times more likely to die than women in Britain, Europe or North America.
At the Diah Clinic in Liberia, midwives go to a nearby pond to collect water before caring for a woman in labor. That time can be critical, says midwife Shanette Khauala, who has worked there for three years.
He says: “If the patient is brought here during labor, and it takes me as long as it takes for me to go and look for water, I may give birth and need immediate intervention, but I’m not around because I’m looking for water. This could cause serious harm to both the mother and the baby. I’m looking for water, so she could bleed to death.”
In the 10 countries surveyed by WaterAid, 78 percent of maternity wards did not have a functioning toilet and 66 percent did not have clean water and soap for washing hands. In Sub-Saharan Africa, three out of every four births occur in these conditions. The charity estimates that targeted investments in water and hygiene in healthcare settings could halve the incidence of maternal sepsis.
Independent‘s Rethinking Global Aid project has been tracking cuts to aid budgets around the world, putting extra pressure on organizations like WaterAid. The UK’s overseas water and sanitation spending has fallen from £206.5 million in 2018 to £80 million in 2024, with further cuts expected.
Chris Stevenson, international editor IndependentHe said the collaboration reinforces “how vital” the work is. “We are proud to be working with WaterAid… and hope this advertising support contribution will strengthen their campaign and fundraising efforts.”
Jennie York, WaterAid UK managing director of communications and fundraising, called 2026 a “defining year for water” and added: “Earth Day is a reminder that everything from safe births to adapting to climate change starts with clean water.”
Earth Day was created on April 22, 1970, to put environmental issues on the global agenda and promote conservation.
Sign WaterAid Time to submit the petition here
This article was produced as part of The Independent. Rethinking Global Aid project
