What If Your Water Looked Like This?

YouTube stars Jimmy Donaldson (also known as MrBeast) and Mark Rober recently stepped up to help. This past August, they launched the #TeamWater campaign, rallying creators and fans to raise money for water projects around the globe. “Everyone in the world deserves clean water,” MrBeast says.

Thousands of #TeamWater creators posted content to YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms, encouraging their combined 2 billion followers to donate. And it worked. The global fundraiser pulled in more than $40 million. That’s enough money to provide safe water for 2 million people for decades.

Now #TeamWater is working with the nonprofit WaterAid and other groups to use the money to improve water access in more than 25 countries. Read on to learn about their efforts.

YouTube stars Jimmy Donaldson (also known as MrBeast) and Mark Rober recently stepped up to help. This past August, they launched the #TeamWater campaign. They rallied creators and fans to raise money for water projects around the globe. “Everyone in the world deserves clean water,” MrBeast says.

Thousands of #TeamWater creators posted content to YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms. They encouraged their combined 2 billion followers to donate. And it worked. The global fundraiser pulled in more than $40 million. That is enough money to provide safe water for 2 million people for decades.

Now #TeamWater is working with the nonprofit WaterAid and other groups to use the money to improve water access in more than 25 countries. Read on to learn about their efforts.

The water from the spring wasn’t clean—but it was their closest option. Some villagers made the 30-minute round trip three times a day to get enough water for everything from cooking to watering crops.

The Stokes brothers, along with MrBeast crew member Tareq Salameh, helped WaterAid workers and the community build three large water tanks for the village. The tanks draw water from a spring and use a chlorine treatment system to purify it. From there,the water is piped into residents’ homes.

The water from the spring was not clean. But it was their closest option. Some villagers made the 30-minute round trip three times a day. They needed to get enough water for everything from cooking to watering crops.

The Stokes brothers helped WaterAid workers and the community. They were joined by MrBeast crew member Tareq Salameh. They built three large water tanks for the village. The tanks draw water from a spring. And they use a chlorine treatment system to purify it. From there, the water is piped into residents’ homes.

With easy access to clean water, the villagers no longer need to climb to the old tap. They also don’t have to worry about contaminated water making them sick.

Being part of that transformation was truly life-changing, Alan Stokes says. “That was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done.”

With easy access to clean water, the villagers no longer need to climb to the old tap. They also do not have to worry about contaminated water making them sick.

Being part of that transformation was truly life-changing, Alan Stokes says. “That was one of the most meaningful things I’ve ever done.”

Joe,* a resident of Raleigh County, West Virginia, had to buy bottled water or fill jugs at a local creek to do everything from brushing his teeth to washing his hands. The cost and time involved in getting water was overwhelming. “Sometimes we would be without water for days,” he says. “You’ve got to drink something.”

Like Joe, approximately 250,000 residents in the state depend on mountain springs, streams, or other untreated sources of water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That can lead to an increased risk of waterborne illnesses and other serious health issues.

^{*Last name withheld for privacy}

Joe* is a resident of Raleigh County, West Virginia. He had to buy bottled water or fill jugs at a local creek to do everything from brushing his teeth to washing his hands. The cost and time involved in getting water was overwhelming. “Sometimes we would be without water for days,” he says. “You’ve got to drink something.”

Like Joe, approximately 250,000 residents in the state depend on mountain springs, streams, or other untreated sources of water. That is according to the Environmental Protection Agency. That can lead to an increased risk of waterborne illnesses and other serious health issues.

^{*Last name withheld for privacy}

To help, #TeamWater members partnered with the organization DigDeep. The nonprofit was already working in the state to assist families living without indoor plumbing. Its crews have been installing pipes to connect homes to communities’ central pipes, known as water mains. Once those links are made, residents can access filtered, clean public water.

The money raised by the YouTube campaign is helping to speed up and expand the work. For Joe and others, the project offers hope for the future. “This will be a lot better because it will be dependable,” he says. “We won’t have to worry about being without water.”  

To help, #TeamWater members partnered with the organization DigDeep. The nonprofit was already working in the state to assist families living without indoor plumbing. Its crews have been installing pipes to connect homes to communities’ central pipes. Those are known as water mains. Once those links are made, residents can access public water that is filtered and clean.

The money raised by the YouTube campaign is helping to speed up and expand the work. For Joe and others, the project offers hope for the future. “This will be a lot better because it will be dependable,” he says. “We won’t have to worry about being without water.”

In 2023 and 2024, unsafe water led to the nation’s worst outbreak of cholera on record. The bacterial infection, which can be deadly, spreads quickly in areas where sewage contaminates drinking water.

WaterAid helped build 10 water stations in the community in 2024. The stations are small stands with taps for people to retrieve clean water. But with so many people, villagers had to wait in long lines for a turn at the tap. Some people kept using the shallow wells instead.

So with #TeamWater funds, WaterAid installed three new 10,000-liter water tanks. A solar pump draws water from deep underground to fill the tanks. From there, the water is cleaned and piped to 10 newly built water stations. Now Sylvia Masebo has 20 water stations.

Zambian influencer Olivia Tutu also took part in the project. “Clean water isn’t just a necessity,” she told her followers, “it’s a foundation for thriving communities.”

In 2023 and 2024, unsafe water led to the nation’s worst outbreak of cholera on record. The bacterial infection can be deadly. It spreads quickly in areas where sewage contaminates drinking water.

WaterAid helped build 10 water stations in the community in 2024. The stations are small stands with taps so people can get clean water. But many people needed it. So villagers had to wait in long lines for a turn at the tap. Some people kept using the shallow wells instead.

But thanks to #TeamWater funds, WaterAid installed three new 10,000-liter water tanks. A solar pump draws water from deep underground to fill the tanks. From there, the water is cleaned and piped to 10 newly built water stations. Now Sylvia Masebo has 20 water stations.

Zambian influencer Olivia Tutu also took part in the project. “Clean water isn’t just a necessity,” she told her followers, “it’s a foundation for thriving communities.”