BETTER WITH WATER / EAU & VIE
Cavite, The Philippines
DESCRIPTION
BETTER WITH WATER / EAU & VIE
Better with Water (BWW) is a French NGO co-founded in 2008 by Philippe de Roux with the aim of providing access to clean water in poor urban areas in the Philippines.
These areas are very often excluded from urban planning systems and, consequently, from water networks. This lack of access to drinking water creates a range of inequalities for residents, including inequalities relating to gender, health and purchasing power, as informal water sources are often more expensive than having access to water at home.
BWW works at the heart of urban communities in partnership with local authorities, water operators and resident communities. BWW builds and manages appropriate infrastructure in underserved neighbourhoods to bring piped water directly into every home, including those of the poorest residents, who often live in the most remote areas. Alongside water networks, BWW deploys social activities relating to hygiene and environmental awareness, civil protection and community empowerment, which are essential to the sustainability of water access.
The project has multiple impacts on residents: a 20% reduction in water costs, which currently represent about 33% of residents’ monthly income; improved economic inclusion, as invoices received from Better with Water can be used to gain access to basic resources or bank loans; less time spent fetching water, particularly by women and children; a lower risk of expropriation; and an 80% reduction in fire risk.
IMPACT / MAIN INDICATORS
Objectives:
• 750 new households connected to safe water at home
• 3,000 individuals with access to water at home
• 2 urban poor communities will have a cleaner and healthier environment through the implementation of the pilot community-based waste collection service
• 5,118 inhabitants will benefit from this service
• 51 environmental awareness sessions organised to improve the communities’ climate resilience
LOCAL
PARTNER
Better with Water, The Philippines
Selection
Duration
Project selected in September 2022
Duration: 5 years
Financed
by
The Comgest Foundation
COMMENT FROM THE AMBASSADOR
Frédérique Darré
The ongoing project began in September 2024, and the first-year report shows that the project is well on track. By September 2025, 356 households were already connected to the water network, thanks in part to the opening of a new network in the community of Strikeville, Cavite. To date, approximately 1,306 additional people have gained access to water at home across Cavite.
Regarding the Solid Waste Management project, this year was dedicated to training future waste collectors in both communities, designing equipment adapted to the communities’ circumstances and constructing the Tabing Dagat materials recovery facility, which was inaugurated in December 2025. The service is scheduled to begin operating in the first half of 2026 in both communities. The project is also due to be replicated in another community in Cavite.
I had the pleasure of meeting the BWW team again in Paris in January 2026 to review the project and discuss its progress. This meeting reinforced my conviction that BWW provides high-quality services to vulnerable communities in a practical and highly professional manner.
1 new volunteer firefighting brigade established and equipped with firefighting skills and equipment
155 individuals received emergency management prevention training.
Finally, BWW was also able to distribute 573 kits (menstrual kits, handwashing kits, hygiene kits).
The project is still ongoing, so we can expect further impacts to be measured in the future.