Our story
44.2m
Urban residents served
since 2005
7.9m
People with improved water supply
10.2m
People with improved sanitation
25.9m
People who have received hygiene education
WSUP (Water and Sanitation for Urban Populations) is a mission-driven non-profit organisation founded in 2005 to address one of the world’s most urgent challenges: ensuring safe, affordable water and sanitation for all city residents, especially those in low-income and informal settlements.
From the outset, WSUP was conceived as a practical response to systemic failures — where utilities, governments, and markets were not adequately serving the urban poor. Its founders united public, private and NGO expertise to create sustainable solutions that go beyond infrastructure to strengthen entire systems.
Vision
To create a world in which all urban residents — including the poorest, informal settlement dwellers, and women and girls — enjoy affordable, safe water and sanitation services of a high standard.
This vision anchors every programme and partnership, pushing beyond short-term fixes to focus on lasting systemic change that supports health, dignity, resilience and opportunity for all.
Mission
WSUP drives inclusive and resilient urban water and sanitation systems and services through pioneering practices, partnerships, and policies.
This mission guides a multi-disciplinary approach that blends on-the-ground action with capacity building, policy engagement and innovation at system levels — not just isolated project delivery.
Our strategy
As WSUP marks two decades of impact, its Strategic Plan 2025–2030 outlines how it will amplify impact, accelerate systems change, and respond to emerging global pressures such as climate change, rapid urbanisation, and shrinking development finance.
WSUP values
At WSUP, our values guide everything we do.
We work to solve water and sanitation challenges in cities so that everyone, especially people in low-income urban communities, can live healthier and better lives.
We listen carefully, learn from what works and what does not, and use evidence to make good decisions. We believe strong partnerships and caring for our people help us build water and sanitation systems that last.
How we create impact
Long-term programmes
WSUP operates long-term programmes led by local experts in multiple countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, supported by a global secretariat handling research, communications, fundraising, and technical oversight.
WSUP Advisory
WSUP Advisory is a consultancy that helps cities and water service providers improve the delivery of water and sanitation services. We use our real-world experience to give practical advice that helps organisations work better and reach people in low-income urban communities with safe, affordable services.
WSUP Charity
The WSUP Charity is a registered charity that raises and shares funds to help bring safe water, sanitation, and hygiene to low-income urban communities. We mainly support WSUP and other trusted partners to deliver water and sanitation projects that reduce poverty and improve health in developing countries.
Partnerships that extent our impact
“Richard [Sandbrook] and I both felt the need to identify and test the best solutions for delivering water and sanitation services to the urban poor, and in creating WSUP we were able to convert that passion and those ideas into action.”
Jeremy Pelczer – Founder
