The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and GiveWell partner to deliver safe water to 1.7 million people in Chad, Nigeria, and Somalia with cost-effective approach

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) today announced the launch of a new project to bring safe, clean drinking water to crisis-affected communities in Nigeria, Chad, and Somalia. In partnership with GiveWell, the project will deploy in-line chlorination (ILC) solutions to ensure safe water at scale in some of the world’s most fragile humanitarian settings.

In communities affected by conflict and climate change, safe water is a lifeline. It is necessary for survival, underpins nutrition, and enables health systems to function. Yet, millions of displaced people and members of host communities remain reliant on untreated or contaminated water, particularly in areas where climate change is accelerating drought, flooding, and disease outbreaks. 

According to WHO estimates, 1.4 million deaths could be prevented each year through improving access to safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. The IRC and GiveWell partnership is designed to deliver safe water to 1.75 million people by installing in-line chlorination devices into water systems across 7 refugee camps in Chad, 93 communities in Nigeria and 50 communities in Somalia. 

This 18-month pilot will introduce a cost-effective approach to water treatment across refugee camps, displacement settlements, and vulnerable host communities. In-line chlorination is a simple, low-tech method that automatically doses chlorine into flowing water at the point of collection, reducing the daily effort required of households compared with manual chlorination. By treating water at the source, it supports consistent use and can be scaled to serve entire communities or small municipalities. 

David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC, said: 

“Water chlorination is one of the most evidence-based and effective WASH interventions. It dramatically reduces diarrheal disease, safeguards against outbreaks like cholera, and protects children from the cycle of illness and malnutrition. In partnership with GiveWell, we will not only deliver safe water to people affected by some of the world’s most challenging humanitarian crises, but also generate evidence on a highly cost-effective intervention that works—strengthening the case for wider adoption across the humanitarian sector and demonstrating how to achieve the greatest results for every dollar invested.”

The IRC has decades of experience supporting communities in crisis with vital WASH services, with local partnerships and community engagement at the heart of our approach. With this pilot, the IRC will strengthen these local systems for consistent chlorination, building robust water quality monitoring and cost effectiveness analysis so that local actors can map the most cost-effective pathways to scale.

Elie Hassenfeld, Co-Founder and CEO of GiveWell, said: 

“We expect this program will do even more than provide safe water to about 1.7 million people—it will generate important learnings about implementing cost-effective chlorination at scale in humanitarian settings. The data we collect by supporting this pilot program, and others like it, will inform our future grantmaking and help people more in the years ahead.”

GiveWell’s support builds on its partnership with the IRC, previously backing efforts to improve access to malnutrition treatment across five countries. Together, the organizations are committed to demonstrating that lifesaving interventions can be highly cost-effective, ensuring that every dollar of donor funding reaches as many people as possible. 

The climate crisis is a water crisis — and the stakes are highest in fragile and conflict-affected settings. This pilot will demonstrate how consistent chlorination is a key pillar of cost-effective, climate resilient WASH, protecting the health and resilience of those most in need.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of International Rescue Committee (IRC) .