The One Foundation had 20 million reasons to celebrate on Thursday 20 June 2019. The charity hosted an evening of celebrations at The Collective in London, to mark reaching its fundraising target of £20 million by 2020, one year early, and to thank its donors, supporters, partners and staff.
This fantastic achievement has enabled the foundation to change the lives of 3.6 million people through its clean water and sanitation projects in some of the world’s poorest communities.
Lord Boateng, Chair of the WSUP (Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor) and former British High Commissioner to South Africa, was the keynote speaker at the event of 70 guests, which included World Duty Free, Co-op, Cisco, BaxterStorey, Oxfam, WSUP, Breathe Unity, Virgin Sports and Craft Gin Club, together with agency partners past and present. Lord Boateng said of the work undertaken by the charity over the last 13-years: “I have witnessed first-hand the remarkable difference the clean water projects run by The One Foundation make to global communities in need. I would like to congratulate Duncan and the teams on reaching this milestone, which would not have been possible without the dedication and hard work of everyone at The One Foundation, its supporters and partners – it is only with each and every feather that the eagle can soar.”
The venue was transformed into a photography gallery documenting the journey of The One Foundation, starting in 2003 when Duncan Goose founded the charity in response to an image in The Guardian of a little girl (Ann) sat next to a padlocked tap in Nairobi, Kenya. Some of the most poignant images were auctioned on the evening, raising £1,000 for the charity.
The One Foundation has a simple vision: A world in which everyone has access to clean water, forever. Just £15 can change a life and for every £1 donated to The One Foundation, 98p goes to primarily large-scale, sustainable water and sanitation programmes in countries such as Rwanda, Malawi, Kenya and Ghana.
Duncan Goose, Founder, The One Foundation, commented: “We’re so proud to have reached our target a year ahead of schedule. Tonight is about celebrating the partnerships that have helped us to raise £20 million and the tireless efforts of our staff, trustees, donors and supporters over the last 13-years – thank you so much.
He continues: “One of the main ways The One Foundation has raised so much money is through the sale of One Water, one of the UK’s leading ethical drinks brands. Put simply, the more water we sell, the more lives we change. We are making progress towards realising our vision of a world in which everyone has access to clean water, forever. We have managed to reach 3.6 million people so far, but the work doesn’t stop here. We’re firmly focused on working towards UN Global Goal 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation for all and have launched an ambitious new target – to raise £50 million by 2030.”
If you would like to find out how you can support The One Foundation, visit https://www.onedifference.org/