2025 Recap: One Drop Rises to the Challenge
Water is one of the world’s most dependable forces—until it isn’t. In 2025, the water crisis is no longer a distant issue; it’s here, reshaping lives and testing the resilience of communities across the globe. Even countries often seen as water-secure—Canada, the United States, Brazil—are now confronting growing risks of scarcity and contamination.
In response to these realities, One Drop leaned into what we do best: driving forward regional water access programs, harnessing the power of art to spark social change, and rallying partners through bold and creative fundraising initiatives. Together, these efforts delivered meaningful, lasting results—stories and highlights we’re proud to share.
Since our founding in 2007, One Drop has placed communities at the center of water access efforts worldwide—because communities don’t just receive services; they manage, maintain, and strengthen them. Through the Lazos de Agua Program in Latin America, women, youth, and local leaders continue to drive change from within, working hand in hand with businesses, social organizations, and governments to co-create sustainable water solutions. When everyone plays their part, water becomes more than a resource— it becomes a shared responsibility.
After reaching more than 235,000 people with access to safe water, Lazos de Agua has set its sights on growth— bringing in new partners and multiplying its impact through new initiatives in Ecuador, Paraguay, Colombia, Mexico, and beyond. Our goal is clear: to reach more than 1 million people in Latin America with access to sustainable water services by 2030.
This same spirit of community leadership is shaping our efforts in Six Nations of the Grand River, Ontario, where the Indigenous Water Allyship program continues to grow. The community’s annual water festival, along with other gatherings that honour water, hands-on activities for youth, community-driven water monitoring, and water planning efforts, all contribute to strengthening local stewardship and supporting Six Nations in defining its long-term vision for water.
Credit: Hermann Lampron, One Drop Foundation
“Water is essential. The whole point of the water festival is to educate people on the importance of water. Not just the actual water and the history behind it, but the cultural connection that Indigenous people have with water —how special it is, and how sacred it is.”
participant of the Teiethinonhwera:ton ne Ohne:kanos (Let us give thanks to the water) Festival and Six Nations community member
When communities come together to paint a mural or perform a play about handwashing, water, or other everyday practices, they do more than share information — they spark dialogue, strengthen identity, and build habits that endure. And most importantly, people begin to see themselves as active agents of change.
This approach continued to guide our work in Rajasthan, India, where shows were held across dozens of rural villages in early 2025. These events promoted sustainable agricultural practices, especially the use of traditional fertilizers, helping farmers gain a clearer understanding of how they can support both water security and soil health.
Credit : WaterAid India
In Mali, the SCOFI project showed how social art can extend beyond water, shaping creative, community-driven activities that support girls’ education. One Drop’s artistic and participatory methodologies guided “Teen clubs”, where students explored how water, health, and learning are connected—and grew confident in leading change themselves. By the project’s end, 87% of these students said the clubs improved their academic performance, with their new skills already echoing beyond their own classrooms.
Credit : Cowater International
“We reached out to other schools to create inter-school sketches together. We focused on schools that didn’t benefit from the SCOFI project, so we could share with them what we’ve learned.”
Social art ensures real community involvement from the start, creating the buy-in needed for lasting change — something other approaches rarely achieve. This proven impact is what drives Matter of Art—our newly launched consultancy—to bring One Drop’s creative expertise to partners advancing sustainable development and targeted impact worldwide.
Each year, One Drop rallies global support through a diverse lineup of high-impact fundraising events. This year saw the return of One Night for One Drop in Las Vegas—revisiting the core elements that made it our flagship event in the city that saw us grow—and the debut of the inaugural One Drop Gala in Los Angeles, a new marquee event celebrating the performing arts and philanthropy.
Overall, One Drop convened over 2,000 supporters across our events in 2025— including fundraisers like Spirit of Water, Big Deal for One Drop, La Cuvée One Drop, Fiuggi for One Drop, and Walk for Water — each contributing to advance our water mission. These events would not be possible without the support of leading partners such as Ferrari Beverly Hills, Fiuggi, Cirque du Soleil and Resorts World, whose contributions help turn each occasion into a powerful catalyst for change.
“I had the pleasure of going to South America, and to actually witness first-hand what this amazing charity does for people. I saw families, I saw kids that can now drink water, and that was very touching. 1 in 4 people cannot turn on a faucet and have access to healthy drinking water. And because of this charity, that number is changing."
For over 18 years, One Drop’s progress has been fueled by the people who believe in our mission—communities who lead the way, partners who walk alongside us, and supporters who push us to reach further. This year, that network grew larger than ever, with new collaborations across our programs and events opening the door to fresh ideas, energy, and possibilities.
As we look to 2026, this momentum becomes our foundation. With One Night for One Drop returning to Las Vegas on March 28th, we will continue harnessing the power of art, generosity, and community to advance our mission. Across all our initiatives, we remain committed to driving water access programs where they’re needed most, and to sharing and scaling our creative methodologies with partners who share our vision. The path ahead is clear: deeper collaboration, broader impact, and a growing movement united by the belief that sustainable change is possible—one community, one partnership, and one act of generosity at a time.
